


Pretty People Never Lie, Vampires Never Die

by Havoka



Series: Lovers' Requiem [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Character Turned Into Vampire, F/F, F/M, Hana is her rebellious teenage fledgling, Huntress!Widowmaker, Reaper is a Dad Sire and Amelie is a (blood) wine mom, Satya is an overprotective sire, Vampire Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani, also it's 2006 up in this bith we got vampires we got MCR refs we got chapters named for emo songs, and Fareeha is a poor human who gets mixed up in their mess of a life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2018-12-20 06:30:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 64,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11915130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havoka/pseuds/Havoka
Summary: Two hundred years ago an orphaned young vampiress rescued a human infant from a horrible fate. Determined to protect her now-teenage fledgling from the wickedness of humanity, the two venture toward the fabled "vampire sanctuary" - the estate of a millennium-old vampiress known only as The Huntress.





	1. Like You Held On To Life

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title is (a slight alteration of) [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIvSX1HrKuw), because I haven't written vampires since 2006 and I'm going old-school with this one
> 
> Fanart:  
> [1](https://notjess.tumblr.com/post/167114953744/this-is-a-scene-from-junkerdvas-fic-pretty)  
> [2](http://daikaiju-arts.tumblr.com/post/166550095516/fanart-of-junkerdvas-awesome-overwatch-vampire)  
> [3](http://daikaiju-arts.tumblr.com/post/167317538541/a-sort-of-quick-huntress-widowmaker-partially)  
> 

_Centuries ago…_

Shouts and torches ignited the pathway behind her. The young girl charged blindly through the forest, tears stinging her eyes as her dress caught and ripped on branches that tore up her ashy-grey flesh.

Thankfully she had several advantages over the humans pursuing her. Although she was young, at least physically, her mind and senses were razor sharp. She could hear every footstep around her, could smell the smoke of the torches wielded by the humans. She had excellent night vision as well, and the twists and turns of the deep woods were little issue for her. She could hear noises of confusion from the humans, questions as well as shouts to one another, a primal instinct of social creatures to assuage their fears of being lost in the woods with a monster.

At least, a monster in _their_ eyes.

Something cut through the shouts of the pursuing humans – a sharp, piercing noise. A cry.

The humans were far enough away for her to pause and listen. Something was crying. She dropped to her knees and crawled through the underbrush, following the sound. Sure enough, in the middle of the brush she spotted a tiny basket full of filthy blankets. The cries were coming from within the basket. They were hoarse, as if the creature had been wailing for quite some time.

With ice-cold hands she unwrapped the blankets. Her eyes widened at the sight of a child’s tiny, tear-stained face.

Upon making eye contact, the child’s crying halted.

The first thing she noticed about the child was how skeletal it looked. Its pale skin also held an unhealthy shade of purplish-blue, a color she was fairly certain humans were not supposed to be.

She cautiously unwrapped the rest of the blanket. The child’s body was even more withered and sickly than its face. Its limbs were curled up like those of a dead insect, and seemingly could not move inside the too-small basket. It had not an ounce of baby fat anywhere on its tiny body.

“Have you been abandoned?” she whispered to the frightened child. As she leaned down to it she caught a whiff of something – a cocktail of scents. The baby had a terribly full diaper, but it was more than that. It smelled of disease.

She scooped the child up and looked it over. Upon touching its back the infant cried out. The girl realized then that it was covered in discolored skin spots. _I see. This child is ill._

No illness could take hold in a body that was undead, so she was not afraid to continue holding the poor thing.

There was a sickening smell just beneath the surface of the diseased flesh as well. The overpowering stench of death. _This child is going to die soon._

The voices of the humans pursuing her were growing fainter. They were losing her trail.

The baby looked up at her with big brown eyes. Although cloudy from malnourishment, they held a wealth of curiosity. A desire to take in the world.

The girl set the infant down. _I should leave it._

The child hiccupped. With a cold hand the girl reached out and stroked the tiny tuft of dark brown hair that adorned its head. Then, on an impulse, she picked the child back up and clutched it to her chest. “I am sorry this happened to you,” she whispered. The child immediately melted into her arms, desperate for some sort of physical contact. She found herself enjoying the touch as well. The last creatures she had clung to with such tenderness had been her own parents.

She drew the child away from her, then laid a finger under its tiny chin. “Humans are wicked creatures. You and I have both experienced this firsthand.” She lifted its chin, exposing the infant’s tiny, rash-riddled throat. The child fussed a little. She shushed it, nestling her mouth against its flesh.

The baby’s gurgles erupted into a scream as the girl sank her fangs into its tender throat. She clamped a hand over its mouth. As soon as she tasted blood she pulled her teeth back out. _This little one has no blood to spare._ Although she was hungry, she ensured that she did not ingest any of the child’s blood. She simply made sure that some of her tainted saliva entered its bloodstream. Then, like a mother cat grooming its kitten, she sealed the puncture wounds back up with a few laps of her tongue.

The child seemed to have little energy left for screaming or crying. Dehydrated, its tears quickly dried up, leaving it able to do nothing but whimper as it stared into the face of a monster.

Before she allowed herself to change her mind Satya clutched tight to the infant in her arms, and took off into the night.

* * *

 

_Modern Day_

“I’m just saying, I’m old enough.” Hana’s fangs glinted in the light of the single bulb that illuminated the attic they were currently calling home. “You were hunting on your own _way_ younger than me.”

“That does not mean that it is, or was, safe.” Satya was busy with her usual logging, keeping notes of when they last ate, where they had chosen to hunt, and so on. Hana had never much seen the point of it. “It is not meant as an insult to you, Hana. I know that you are capable. But humans are not helpless, especially in groups, and in addition to that there are many of our kind far older and stronger than either of us – and with established territories we may not know about – lurking in the shadows. We are safest together.”

Hana pouted, but did not pursue the topic. Once she was finished with her writing Satya strode over to the old, broken window, their only view of the world below the abandoned house’s attic. “It is dark enough now. Shall we depart?”

“Okay. Can I lure the human in this time?”

“So long as you remain in my sight.”

“Psh. Whatever you say, _Mom._ ”

Satya rolled her eyes at Hana’s insolence. Hana grinned. The two of them then slipped out onto the fire escape, their footsteps entirely silent.

* * *

 

They hadn’t been in this city very long. It was impossible to stay in any one place without attracting too much attention. Of course, a side effect of having to relocate constantly was that they never had time to make friends. They didn’t really have any enemies, either, although they’d had run-ins with territorial vampires before.

Overall their existence was a fairly lonely one.

Hana watched Satya as she strolled down the sidewalk just ahead of her. She moved with a flawless and powerful stride. Hana could not match it – her leg bones had never quite developed properly after spending weeks crammed in a tiny basket as a baby. She thus moved with a bit of a limp, which Satya assured only helped to make her look even more innocent and vulnerable in front of potential victims. Hana had found that to be true. Few humans could turn down assisting a wide-eyed teenage girl with a limp to her gait.

Satya paused on the corner intersecting two streets. Across from them sat a small, local grocery store with a dimly-lit parking lot.

“Perfect,” she murmured.

They didn’t even have to speak to communicate a plan. Hana crossed the street by herself, hands in her pockets, eyes on the ground. Satya remained in the shadows between street lights, just visible enough.

It didn’t take long for a human to present themselves to her. A tall, tan-skinned woman with shoulder-length black hair nudged the store’s front door open with her foot, a bag of groceries in her arms. She hummed to herself as she headed for a dark blue pickup truck at the far end of the lot. Hana followed her at an inconspicuous distance. Then, once she was close enough, she loudly whispered, “Um, e-excuse me.”

The woman paused and turned around. She pointed uncertainly to herself with her free hand. Hana nodded. Stepping closer to the woman, she said, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I think – I think I’m being followed by someone.”

The woman perked up at that. “Are you okay? Do you want me to call the police or something?” She cast a quick glance around, then locked on to Satya on the other side of the street. “Is that them?”

Hana nodded, her eyes wide with fear. “If we could just, like, pretend to be together for a few minutes–”

“Yeah, of course.” The woman’s eyes were full of kindness. Hana almost felt bad taking advantage of it. “You can even, I mean, if you want you can wait in my truck for a few minutes. See if they leave.”

“Oh, that would be great!” Hana clasped her hands together. “Thank you _so_ much.”

The woman unlocked her truck, set the groceries in the back seat, then hopped into the driver’s seat. Hana climbed into the passenger seat. “I really appreciate this,” she whispered.

The woman waved a hand. “No problem. You sure you don’t want me to call the police…or…”

She caught Hana’s eyes as Hana inched slightly closer to her. Hana was still mastering the hypnotic eyes trick Satya was so adept at, but her skills seemed sufficient enough to work on this woman. The woman’s arm lowered to her side, and her jaw muscles slackened a bit. Hana concentrated all her energy into her gaze. The woman’s eyes glazed over, and she slowly slumped forward in her seat.

Once the woman was entranced Hana opened the truck door and beckoned Satya over.

“Hana, you have done well!” Satya climbed into the truck on the driver’s side, wrapping her arms around the human woman’s waist. “Mm, this one smells so healthy. Unfortunately a bit too soft-hearted for her own good.”

The woman stared blankly forward as Satya moistened the flesh of her throat with her skillful tongue. Surprising both Satya and Hana, the human closed her eyes and let out a little moan.

They exchanged a look. Hana massaged the back of her neck. “That, er, is bound to happen sometimes,” Satya murmured.

“Humans are weird.”

“Indeed.”

Without further hesitation Satya sank her razor-sharp teeth into the woman’s flesh. The woman lifted a hand weakly in protest. Hana lowered it back down. “Shh. No resisting.”

Satya drank her fill from the woman, lapping eagerly at the rich, hearty blood that flowed from her. When she was finished she passed her over to Hana. Satya’s punctures were still wide open and oozing delicious scarlet. Hana latched on and drank greedily from them.

“Nng…” The woman writhed weakly. Hana ignored her and continued feeding.

“You certainly chose a good human,” Satya said. “Such rich, healthy blood!”

Hana smiled triumphantly.

A loud ringing noise startled them both. “What’s that??” Hana practically leapt off the woman.

Satya reached down and plucked a glowing black rectangle from the pocket of the woman’s jeans. “Incoming call from ‘Mom’.” She read the screen aloud. “Her mother is attempting to contact her.”

“She’ll be out of it most of the night. Her mom might call the police or something.”

Satya took the woman by the arm. Staring deep into her eyes, she said, “Listen to me, human.”

The woman stared blankly at her.

“Your mother is calling you. Answer your phone and tell her you are fine. That you are on your way home.”

Her eyes still clouded over, the woman hesitantly answered her phone. “Hello…?”

Satya and Hana both listened in nosily. From the phone’s small speaker they heard a voice. _“Ah, Fareeha, I’m glad I caught you. There are a couple of items I forgot to include on the list. Do you think you could pick up some–”_

“I’m fine,” the woman, “Fareeha” apparently, answered her mother in a flat, monotone voice.

_“Hm?”_

“I’m on my way home.”

“ _Oh. Well all right, then. I suppose I can do without those things for a few more days. Drive safel–”_

Fareeha hung up.

“Wow,” Hana snickered, “rude.”

“All right.” Satya drew Fareeha back in and ran her tongue over her puncture wounds to close them up. “We should be going.”

“So I did good, huh?” Hana puffed her chest out. “I’m totally good enough to hunt on my own–”

Something clicked. Hana and Satya glanced down. The woman was shakily holding a handgun to Satya. Her eyes were still trained straight ahead, leading Hana to deduce she was still at least partially hypnotized.

Showing no fear, Satya reached out and lowered the gun. “Mm, your skills are impressive, but as we can see you still need some practice.” With gentle hands she placed the gun back in its holster on the woman’s belt. Hana only then noticed the ID card labeled “SECURITY” dangling from it. “You must always check humans for weapons and the like. They can prove to be a problem, even if not a fatal one.”

“G-get out of my truck,” Fareeha uttered. “Leave me alone. Please.”

Satya shook her head. “This is no good. We cannot have her remembering us.” She laid her hands on either side of the woman’s face. “I need you to look at me, Fareeha. You must forget all that you have–”

With one swift movement Fareeha threw the door open and pushed Satya out onto the pavement. She floored the truck into reverse, slamming the door shut in the process.

“What are you doing?!” Hana attempted to leap out after Satya, but Fareeha punched the gas before she could. “I’m still in here!”

Fareeha still looked dazed, and she did not answer, or even acknowledge, Hana. Hana glanced out the truck’s rear windshield. In a matter of moments a humanoid shape with massive, bat-like wings appeared on the horizon, in hot pursuit of the pickup truck.

“Can you, like, let me out?” Hana rested her chin on her palm. “I could probably jump out, but I’d rather not.”

Fareeha blinked a few times, then shook her head. “Wh – what’s going – aghh!” She seemed to just then realize that she was behind the wheel and driving. Immediately she swerved to the side of the road and pulled over. Not a moment later something landed on the roof of the truck with enough force to dent the ceiling in.

Suddenly the driver side window smashed. Satya reached in with a clawed hand and unlocked the doors. Hana immediately leapt out and joined Satya at her side. Before they could make their escape, however, they realized Fareeha was staring right into the face of Satya’s full vampire form, with its glowing red eyes, saber-like fangs, unnatural grey skin, and massive black bat wings.

Hana glanced between the two of them, then turned to Fareeha. “So, uh, you won’t tell anyone about this, right?”

With a scream Fareeha slammed on the gas and took off down the street.

Satya resumed her humanoid form. “Well that could certainly have gone better.”

Hana’s shoulders drooped. “We’re gonna have to move again, aren’t we?”

“I’m afraid so.”

* * *

 

They were blessed with an abundance of clouds that night. No human could see them as they flew overhead. No human could hear the soft, gentle flaps of Satya’s wings as she carried both herself and her charge in search of yet another new place to call home.

Hana had not yet mastered flying, though she was certainly adept at crashing through the air with her tender, underdeveloped wings. Satya held a nagging suspicion that the girl may never fly, though that fear was largely unfounded. Still, though, she could not help but wonder if her deprived childhood would result in permanent stunted growth of vampiric traits.

Satya had tried as hard as possible to keep Hana fed and healthy. Blood-feeding an infant was no simple task. Dozens of times she had ended up simply killing a human to drain their blood into baby bottles. Being so young, Hana had struggled even with drinking from a bottle – oftentimes she would attempt to latch on to Satya, looking for the sustenance a human mother would provide. Obviously Satya could not give her that, nor would it have satisfied the girl’s hunger anyway. This resulted in many long nights of Hana crying with an empty stomach while Satya struggled to get blood into her.

“Satya?” Hana craned her neck to look up at the woman carrying her under the arms like a cat.

Satya glanced down at her. “Yes, my dear?”

Hana stared straight ahead then. “Am I a burden?”

Satya slowed her flight a little. “Why would you ask that?”

“Just seems like you’re always taking care of me. I try to contribute, but I never really can.”

Satya stopped altogether at that, instead tracing small circles in mid-air. “Well, you know if nothing else that I am brutally honest, so I assume you desire a genuine answer.” She flew up higher, through a cloud, giving them a clear view of the moon. “Yes. You are a burden,” she said. “But you are a burden that I chose to bear. And the companionship you provide me with is well worth the costs of caring for you.”

Hana seemed to mull that over. “Do you think I’ll ever _not_ be a burden?”

“When your abilities are fully matured, yes.” With that she resumed their flight. “You have come a _long_ way, Hana. And I think that you will go much farther still.”

At that, Hana smiled a little. “I love you, Satya.”

Satya curled up so as to kiss Hana on the top of her head. “I love you too, my little fledgling.”

And so their journey continued, all through the long autumn night.

* * *

 

Hana hadn’t even realized she’d nodded off until Satya gently roused her. She opened her eyes to find the two of them camped out under a freeway overpass. The sun was just beginning to rise, though thankfully the bridge overhead fully shielded them from its searing heat.

“Hm?” She looked around, her eyelids still heavy. “Not a town?”

“I have a destination in mind for us, but it is quite far. Multiple nights’ worth of flight.”

“Where?”

Satya sat against the graffiti-riddled cement, allowing Hana to use her lap as a pillow. “Before my parents were…taken from me, they sometimes spoke of a sort of ‘vampire sanctuary’. A mansion owned by a millennium-old vampiress who takes in others of her kind and allows them to live with her. Safety in numbers, as I often remind you when we hunt together.”

“You’re thinking about going there?”

“I want you to be safe. And almost as importantly I want you to be able to actually live your life, not be constantly on the run. And right now…” She sank her fingers into Hana’s hair, combing gingerly through it. “Were something to happen to me, you would be thrown out into the world completely by yourself.”

Hana bit her lip. Her first instinct was to argue, to say _Nothing bad will ever happen to you, Satya!_ But she knew in her heart that that wasn’t a guarantee.

“How many vampires live there, do you think?”

“I’ve no idea. But at the very least there’s the woman who owns the mansion. I can’t speak to her trustworthiness, but any vampire is surely safer to be with than a town full of humans.”

“Yeah.” Hana curled up into Satya. They were both freezing cold to the touch, as usual, but Hana didn’t mind. “So where is this place, anyway?”

“France.”

“France?” At that Hana sat up a bit. “Wow, that’s far!”

“I have never been myself. I’ve heard nice things about it.”

“Yeah, it’s like, super pretty and romantic, right?” Hana squealed. “Maybe I’ll meet a cute vampire boy there!”

Satya ignored that. “So you would like to try to reach this place?”

“Sure!”

Satya smiled a little. “Good. Now rest. I will keep watch.”

“Uh, no way? You spent all night flying while I was asleep. I’ll watch first!”

Satya seemed ready to protest, but Hana fixed her with a determined stare. “…I suppose that makes the most logical sense. You will wake me if anything transpires?”

“Of course.”

“Very well.” She leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on Hana’s forehead. “Thank you, my dear.”

Hana curled up around her, giving Satya a marginal amount of warmth to sleep with. “No problem. Night, Satya.”

“Goodnight.”


	2. Vampires Will Never Hurt You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an aside: The House of the Huntress is not (exactly) Chateau Guillard. This chapter was already written and the fic planned out before Chateau Guillard was even announced (imagine my reaction when I decide to write a fic centered around Widowmaker's house and then barely a few weeks later Widowmaker's canon house gets announced as a map...)
> 
> I was thinking of rewriting the story to change it to Chateau Guillard, but there are things about Guillard that just wouldn't work with this fic, like the fact that Guillard is so open with no doors or windows to speak of (wouldn't exactly work for a house full of creatures who can't be exposed to sunlight), and that Chateau Guillard is actually much smaller than the Huntress' mansion, which is almost more akin to a small town because Amelie's had a thousand years to expand upon it. 
> 
> tl;dr The House of the Huntress is not Chateau Guillard. Thanks for your time and @Blizzard Entertainment stop stealing my ideas

The next few weeks consisted of nothing but feeding and flying. They’d touch down in a small town for the day, grab a bite at dusk, then take off once again.

Shortly after taking off one night, Satya noticed Hana had something glowing in her hands. “What is that?” she asked.

“Oh, this?” Hana held it up and waved it in Satya’s face. “It’s that mortal lady’s phone. I’ve had it in my pocket since the night we were in her truck.”

“You stole from her?”

“She took off before I could give it back.” She began fiddling with it. “I flipped a switch and now it shakes a lot. It also says ’17 missed calls’. She must be popular!”

“What does it do, exactly? Connect a human with other humans?”

“I guess? It’s like a telephone, but no wires.”

Satya was not impressed. “Hopefully they are not too expensive to replace,” was all she said.

* * *

 

Finally, after about a week of travel, they began to see signs in what Satya said looked to be French. “Wow, we actually made it?” Hana looked around in excitement.

“I have always possessed above-average navigation skills,” Satya replied. Unlike Hana, she did not sound overly enthused. She sounded exhausted.

Hana looked up at her. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” She blinked slowly, seeming to have trouble pulling her eyelids back open again.

“Are you sure?”

“Y-yes, I…”

Suddenly they dropped down, spiraling straight toward the ground.

“ _Satya!_ ”

Just before they hit the ground Satya’s wings snapped back out and flapped desperately, granting them just enough air to avoid smashing headfirst into the dirt. “Oh my goodness, Hana, I – I’m so sorry. Everything is getting a bit…fuzzy.”

“You’re too tired to keep flying. Let’s take a rest.”

“But we are so close. I want you to be safe.”

“I won’t be safe if you drop me out of the air.”

Satya exhaled. “Again, you are right.” With obvious reluctance she began a descent toward a small patch of forest by a river. Their landing was graceless, little more than a glorified crash.

Hana face-planted into a bush. “Wow, just like old times,” she murmured as she pulled herself out and plucked a few twigs from her hair. “I guess we could sleep here–”

She turned to find Satya passed out in the grass a meter away from her.

“…Okay, guess that settles that.” Hana picked her up and dragged her gently over to a tree trunk nearby. Resting her against it, she whispered, “Night, Satya.”

Satya made a small noise. She reached out and laid a hand on Hana’s head. Her fingers closed slowly into her hair. Hana nestled in beside her, keeping a close watch on their surroundings.

* * *

 

Dawn was just edging onto the horizon when Hana heard something rustle in the tree above them. She perked up.

Something dropped out of the high branches and fluttered downward. A piece of paper. Hana caught it out of the air.

 _Carte d’Annecy._ A path was drawn in blue from a series of tree symbols to a plot of land labeled _La Maison de La Chasseresse._

“Chah-ser-ess?”

Satya stirred. “Hm?”

Hana looked up into the tree. “Who dropped this?”

The only response to her question was an owl taking off from a high branch. It disappeared in the same direction the map indicated.

“What is going on?” Satya was awake and alert by then.

“Something just dropped us a map.” Hana turned it over. The back had a stamp made to look like a kiss with bright red lipstick.

Satya took it and looked it over. “The markings on this map…the destination looks to be some sort of estate. Do you think…?”

“Maybe they saw us land.”

“That is a bit…disconcerting.” Satya turned the map over. “Hm.” She leaned in and gave the kiss mark a sniff. “There are some interesting scents contained within this lipstick. The smell of blood, for one thing.”

She held it out to Hana, who sniffed it as well. “Oh yeah! I thought this was a stamp or something, but maybe it really _is_ someone’s lipstick.”

“A vampiress’ lipstick.”

“So I guess we might as well check this ‘Maison’ place out, right? It seems like it really has vampires, at least.”

Satya was quiet a moment. “Yes. That is what we came here for.”

“And if things get weird we can just take off.”

“Right. I will ensure that you are not harmed.”

Day had nearly broken by then, so there was no way for them to scope the mansion out. Instead they spent the day shaded by the deep woods, looking over the map of Annecy and planning their next moves.

* * *

 

The mansion was a short flight from the forest – they reached it in less than half the night.

The first clue that they had reached their destination was the sight of an enormously tall wrought-iron fence that stretched on seemingly forever around lush green gardens. Satya flew right over it, of course. Hana suspected it was intended to keep out humans, not vampires.

Eventually they reached a building – what must have been the mansion. Hana had never seen anything like it. With three floors full of ornately-carved, yet entirely blacked-out, windows, fancy arches and pillars everywhere, a fountain in the front yard, and a driveway lined with luxury vehicles that circled most of the building, it looked like an entire city could live there.

“This must be it.” Though Satya still sounded wary, for the first time in weeks Hana could detect a note of excitement in her voice. _She’s excited to get me somewhere safe._ The notion was sweet, but Hana couldn’t help but feel that it was at least partially because Satya was cracking under the pressure of constantly looking out for the both of them. She had always kept them in a lone-wolf lifestyle; it wasn’t like her to want to cast them into the middle of some vampire social scene.

They realized as they drew closer that there was someone standing on the roof. Satya hesitated at the sight.

“Who is flying in my air space?” the woman called out to them. Her tone was not accusatory. If anything it sounded a tad amused.

Hana squinted. The woman had an unnatural pallor to her skin, contrasting long, dark hair in a ponytail down her back. She was dressed like royalty, in a black and red frilled jacket with gold buttons over a corset, and leggings covered by knee-high black and red boots. Her golden eyes had a reflective quality to them, betraying her humanoid appearance.

Their cover already blown, Satya brought them to a gentle landing on the roof a few meters away from the woman. Hana immediately took in the sights around them – there was a pool on the roof with underwater lighting, obviously meant for nighttime use. Around it sat all sorts of lawn chairs and parasols, with a glass of what looked to be red wine, but probably wasn’t, on a table near the woman.

Satya stood up tall in the face of the taller woman. “Are you The Huntress?” she asked, dodging the woman’s first question.

The woman smiled politely. “Please, call me _Amélie._ ” She glanced between the two of them. “You two are certainly an interesting pair. Where do you hail from, my friends?”

Satya and Hana exchanged a look. “We were last living in Giza,” Satya said.

“Mm, quite far! You must be exhausted.” Although she spoke to Satya, the woman’s eyes were on Hana.

“We are fine.” Satya must have noticed her stare, for she stepped in front of Hana. “Just decided it was time for a change of scenery.”

The woman, “Amélie”, circled around Satya and went right to Hana. She gave her a quick once-over and then said, “A human convert, hm?”

“I converted her as an infant. She has lived her entire life as one of us.”

Amélie smirked. “So touchy! I was not insulting her. In fact…” She folded down the high collar of her jacket, revealing the faintest scar of a bite mark. “I was once human myself.”

“Really?” Hana’s curiosity overcame her shyness around the mysterious woman. “Who sired you?”

Amélie chuckled, though it was largely mirthless. “I have no one sire. I was taken by a group of elder vampires and converted against my will.”

Hana frowned. “Oh. That’s sad.”

“I find no sadness in it. I outlived them all. And everything they had, all the fortunes they had amassed…” She spread her arms, encompassing the massive estate. “I ended up with all of it.”

“How old are you?” As soon as the question was out of her mouth Hana backpedaled. “…That’s probably rude to ask.”

“I don’t mind. However, I cannot give you a solid answer. After so many years I’m afraid I’ve lost count.” Amélie examined her fingernails. “I know that I am at least one thousand years old.”

“Wow! I had no idea converts could live that long.”

“We can live just as long as any other vampire, born or created. Although at such an advanced age, having experienced so much, it has become difficult for me to truly feel any emotion anymore. The price to pay for immortality, I suppose.”

Hana looked to Satya then. “Do vampires lose their ability to feel after a while?”

“I…was not aware of that.”

“I don’t claim my experience to be universal.” Amélie picked up her glass and took a sip. Hana could immediately tell by both the smell and the liquid’s consistency that it was, in fact, blood. “So, since you found your way here, shall I show you around? I do take in wandering vampires, should they like to stay.”

They looked at one another again. Hana wasn’t sure if it was their blood tie or their centuries of time spent together – perhaps both – but she could almost always get a feel for what Satya was thinking in novel situations. At the moment her sire was cautious, but willing to go along.

“All right,” they both said simultaneously.

That got another tiny smile out of Amélie. “Never have I seen a sire act so much like a parent to their fledgling. If I felt anything at all, it might be endearing.”

She led them over to a door that would bring them inside the glorious mansion.

* * *

 

The house, if one could truly call it that, was bustling with inhabitants. As Amélie led them down a long, gilded hall they passed dozens of doors with names inscribed upon them. Likewise, they came across dozens of vampires coming and going from various places. Some were friendly, some simply continued on without even looking at Satya or Hana. A few clustered around to stare at them.

“I’ve never seen so many of us in one place before!” Hana exclaimed as Amélie opened the door to a common room with even more vampires hanging around inside.

“Mm.” Satya was keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. “If I may, what is the benefit to clustering so many of us together in one small area? It seems as though it would make us an easy target.”

“Actually it is quite the opposite. Many humans know of, or at least suspect, our residence here. But who among the mortals is brave enough to poke the wasp’s nest, full of an indiscernible number of us?”

“Ah. I suspected that to be your reasoning.”

“It has been highly effective. We have been challenged by so-called ‘vampire hunters’ in the past. All were either slaughtered for blood, or, in a few cases, bitten and converted for our own ranks.” She nodded to a small brunette woman who was glaring at them from an expensive-looking leather sofa.

“Don’t bring me into this,” the woman muttered.

Amélie popped open a miniature refrigerator in the corner of the room and retrieved three glasses of blood. She handed two to Hana and Satya, then set the third on the end table beside the brunette. The brunette at first turned away from it in seeming disgust, but once Amélie’s back was turned she sighed and took a swig.

Hana had never tasted chilled blood before. It was…odd. Refreshing, though. She gulped it right down.

“Another benefit to communal living?” Amélie said as she gestured to the glass. “Communal hunting. We have quite the bountiful supply of blood thanks to the efficiency of our hunting packs.”

“Yeah, and the fact that you keep humans in the basement and milk ‘em like cattle,” the brunette said. “Like _monsters._ ”

“And yet you eagerly drink it down, _mon chérie_.”

“’Cause you bit me and turned me into a monster too, ya tart.”

“You…keep humans on the property?” Satya interrupted their bickering to ask.

Amélie nodded, making no excuses. “We do hunt, but farming livestock is far more efficient in the long run.”

“Those poor humans,” Hana murmured, almost too quiet to hear.

“Psh, ‘poor’? Hardly.” Amélie took the empty glass from Hana. She reached for Satya’s as well before realizing Satya had not taken a single sip. “The humans we keep here are the worst types of people. Thieves, murderers...and some tried to attack us directly.”

Satya remained silent, and for once Hana could not get a solid idea how her sire felt about the situation. As usual her expression was neutral, her face unreadable.

Amélie resumed the tour through another hallway. This one was lined with paintings. Hana paused at an ancient-looking portrait of a dancer. “That’s you?” she said, half-stating, half-questioning.

That got a genuine smile out of the Huntress. “It is. In my human days I was quite the renowned dancer.”

“Do you miss it?”

Amélie turned and looked the painting over for a long minute. Eventually she said, “I feel nothing.”

Hana could only wonder what it must have been like to have to shift from a normal human lifestyle to that of an undead creature of the night. She had hardly known life as a human, and Satya was born into a vampiric bloodline. She couldn’t imagine being a grown human woman one night and a vampiress the next.

“So how old did you say you were when you were converted?” Amélie surprised Hana with a question of her own.

Satya looked to her, waiting to see what she would say. Having been raised by someone with a penchant for total honesty, Hana was not inclined to be deceptive.

“Satya found me while she was hiding from some violent humans. My parents abandoned me in a forest because I was sick. Satya thinks I was just a few weeks old.”

“And you have lived together ever since?”

Hana nodded.

“Well, that explains the parental relationship I see between the two of you.” Her golden eyes studied them each in turn, revealing nothing. “You will find your situation to be quite the rarity here. Most of the converts who reside within my walls have no relationships with their sires at all.”

“Hana is like a daughter to me. There is no creature in this world nearer to my heart.”

Hana smiled. “I feel the same way.”

“How touching.” Amélie’s tone was flat. “Perhaps you would be interested in meeting the other sire-fledgling pair here at some point.”

“What are they like?” Hana asked. She’d never met anyone with the same sort of relationship she and Satya had.

Amélie snickered. “I think the best description would be simply meeting them.”

With that they set out into the mansion’s sprawling backyard. Two figures lurked out by the fence, concealed by shadows.

“Come here you two,” Amélie called out. “Meet our guests.”

The figures turned in her direction. Both were dressed in concealing cloaks, one black, one purple. Their faces were obscured by masks of two distinct skull designs.

The purple-cloaked one lifted their mask, revealing a woman with ashen but dark skin and a mischievous gleam in her eyes. The other vampire remained masked. “Wow, so Gabe was telling the truth after all.” The vampiress spoke with an accent Hana had never heard before. “Most of the vamps around here have some pretty serious sire issues.”

“Not me,” Hana declared. “Satya’s my best friend!” Both Amélie and the new vampiress got a laugh out of that. Uncertain as to why her statement garnered such a reaction, Hana looked to Satya, but Satya seemed puzzled by the response as well. “What’s funny?”

“It’s just cute,” the new vampiress said, still snickering. “’Best friend’. I haven’t heard anyone use that term since I was human.”

“What about you and your sire?” Hana gestured to the masked vampire who was watching them with disinterest. “Aren’t you guys best friends?”

At that the woman guffawed. “Me and Gabe?” She slung an arm around the other vampire, who immediately pulled away. “Yeah, we’re best friends, right?”

A deep, raspy male voice growled from beneath the mask. “ _Hardly._ ”

Hana frowned. The cloaked vampiress must have noticed her soured demeanor, for she let go of the other vampire and offered a hand to Hana instead. “Name’s Sombra. My sire here’s Gabe.”

“I’m Hana. This is Satya.”

Satya gave them a quick but cordial nod.

Sombra studied Hana. After a moment of silence she said, “You’re really young, aren’t you?”

“I’m nineteen.” The answer was out of her mouth before she realized she was talking to other vampires and could have been honest about her true age of 190.

“Aww geez, you’re just a baby.” Sombra pointed at her sire. “Not gonna tell you my age, but Gabe’s an old guy, he’s sixty something.”

“Don’t tell random people my business,” the vampire ‘Gabe’ muttered.

“Whoops, sorry.”

“So what’s your story?” Hana asked Sombra. “Were you sired on purpose?”

“Oh God no. Gabe has a million fledglings because he isn’t careful at all. He moves to a new place, bites some poor shmuck, then takes off for the next town. _I_ just happened to be able to track his ass down.”

“One bite does not convert a human,” Satya interjected. “They must be exposed numerous times.”

Sombra raised an eyebrow. “Uh, no? As long as your saliva’s potent enough they can, and do, convert from a single bite.” She touched a hand to her neck, which was shielded by the cloak’s hood. “I should know.”

Hana looked to Satya. All her life she had been told by her sire that it took a series of bites to turn a human. Satya seemed as surprised as her about the novel information.

“Why?” Sombra’s eyes were alight with amusement. “You don’t go around biting humans like some kind of wild animal…right?”

Satya took Hana by the arm and led her away. “Hm?” Hana looked up at her. “Where are we going?”

Once they were a safe distance away from everyone else in the yard Satya whispered, “Hana, you know that I was very young when my parents were taken from me. I did not learn all that I was supposed to.”

“Yeah, I know. What does that have to do with anything?”

“I do not know if a single bite can truly convert a human. I was under the impression that they had to be bitten multiple times. That is why I bit you so many times as an infant.”

Hana squinted at her. “Okay, well it still worked, so who cares?”

Satya held her gently by the shoulders. “Do you have any idea how many humans we have bitten in our lifetimes?”

Hana’s puzzled expression shifted as the point sank in.

“Who knows how many fledglings I may have? Poor souls who were left to suffer the conversion process all alone?” Satya laid a hand on her chest. “I am a _deadbeat sire._ ”

“Satya, most vampires apparently don’t bother with _any_ of their fledglings. You’re already beating the average!”

Satya’s scarlet eyes slipped downward. “…I would just feel terrible to know that somewhere out there an innocent person is struggling to adapt to this monstrous lifestyle without any sort of guidance, all because of me.”

“We’re not monsters,” Hana said, though her words lacked any conviction.

Satya paused. With one ice-cold hand she reached out and cupped Hana’s face. “You are right, my dear. That is not the way to think.”

Hana took her hand and squeezed it. “Come on, let’s go see some more of the house.”

“Very well.” Satya attempted a smile at her. “Perhaps we can test out that pool. We so rarely have the opportunity to go swimming…”

“Aw yeah, that’ll be fun! Let’s go!”

* * *

 

Their plan had originally been to stay a single night, to get a feel for the place and then potentially move on. But as they explored the mansion Satya began to notice a change in her fledgling. At first a bit shy and hanging close to Satya, eventually Hana found her social footing and began interacting one-on-one with other residents. It was difficult to let her go, but ultimately Satya allowed Hana her space. And their stay turned from one night to two, two to three, three to…well, after a while it just became indefinite.

Satya was sitting alone on the roof one night when she heard gentle footsteps behind her. She could identify Amélie’s scent by that point; it was the Huntress approaching her.

“Hm?” Amélie asked once she was closer. “No fledgling sidekick?”

“I am letting her establish other social relationships. She should not rely on me to be her everything.”

Amélie sat down beside her, resting an elbow on one long, spider-like leg. “Does it bother you?” Her tone held more casual interest than sympathy.

Satya stared straight ahead. “Of course. This world has done nothing but wound her. A part of me desires to shield her from all of it.”

“You know that is foolish, right?”

“Yes.”

To that Amélie gave a simple shrug. “I cannot tell you how to feel. Nor would I even care to.”

Amélie was hardly a shoulder to lean on, but Satya was unaccustomed to not having a constant listening ear around. “When I found her,” she all but whispered, “she had something behind her eyes. Intelligence. Curiosity. An unquenchable thirst for life. All these years I have kept her on a short leash in order to keep her safe, but now that I see her out and interacting with the world I wonder if all this time I have been stifling her true potential.”

Amélie shrugged again. “Probably.”

The agreement stung. Satya looked to her. “Do you think all of our kind lose their emotions as they age?”

“Hm. Rarely am I asked for my opinion on these sorts of things.” Amélie’s long, pearl-white fangs glittered in the moonlight. “I do believe it happens to all deathless creatures eventually. Nothing in this world can affect you once you’ve seen so very much.”

“Do you still feel love?”

To that Amélie chuckled. “That was the first thing to go.”

Satya tried not to visibly react. “I see.”

“Are you concerned you’ll lose the ability to love her?”

Satya gritted her teeth. “That will not happen.”

Amélie looked her over. “Perhaps you two will not share my fate. I was under…very different circumstances.”

“You said you were kidnapped and forcibly converted?”

Amélie nodded.

“I am…sorry.”

Amélie blinked. “Sorry? Why?”

“Because that is horrible?”

“You have no reason to feel sorry on my behalf. You don’t even know me.”

Satya hesitated. “I suppose you are right.”

With her sensitive hearing Satya could detect voices from the backyard. Hana’s voice was easy for her to pick out amongst the crowd. She was laughing loudly about something.

“Perhaps,” Amélie spoke after a spell of silence, “the two of you will keep each other from growing cold and apathetic.”

“I certainly hope so.”

Suddenly Amélie hopped to her feet. Satya followed her gaze out to an unfamiliar figure approaching the outer gates of the mansion. Exhaling, Amélie said, “I will go see what that is about.”

While Amélie headed for the stairs into the house, Satya opened her wings and took off toward the sound of Hana’s voice.

* * *

 

Amélie was waiting at the gate when the wanderer arrived. It was a woman, tall and lithe, with dark hair and brown, though grey-tinged, skin. She was approaching slowly. Amélie could smell weakness on her. She was sickly and malnourished.

As soon as the woman spotted Amélie she reached out and wrapped a hand around one wrought-iron gate bar.

“My, my.” Amélie looked her over with mild amusement. “You look horrible.”

The woman kept her eyes on the ground. “Let me in.”

Amélie chuckled. “Why?”

“Because…” The woman opened her mouth, exposing a set of tiny baby fangs. “I’m one of you.”

“A recent convert, looks like.” Amélie reached through the gate and put her fingers right in the woman’s mouth, running the pad of her thumb over the points of the woman’s young fangs. The woman reacted with raised eyebrows, but she did not pull away.

Once Amélie removed her fingers the woman said, “I was attacked by a pair of you…things. I got really sick. I was barely aware of anything that happened after that, until I apparently tried to attack my middle-aged mother in the night. I can’t stay with her if I’m dangerous like that.”

“No, of course not.” Amélie nodded in an attempt to convey sympathy. “So where do you come from, stranger?”

“Egypt.”

“That seems to be a hot spot for vampires lately. How did you discover this place from so far away?”

“One of the assholes who attacked me stole my phone. I tracked them here.”

She had already suspected the culprits as soon as the woman mentioned being attacked by a pair of vampires, but the last fledgling to arrive at her mansion had been flashing around a human’s cell phone until the battery had died, sealing her suspicions.

“Let me ask plainly,” Amélie said. Her hand hovered on the ancient lock keeping the gate closed. “Are you here to try to kill them?”

The woman hesitated, as if she herself wasn’t sure.

“Because if so,” Amélie continued, “I ask that you confront each other outside. I just replaced my carpeting.”

“I don’t…know what I want to do yet.” The woman massaged the back of her neck, sighing heavily. “I just need to see them again. I need answers.”

Amélie shrugged. “Very well.” She unlatched the gate’s lock. “Come inside.”


	3. The Crimson

Hana was acting bizarrely. Satya couldn’t quite put a finger on _how,_ but something was definitely different.

“Oh, hi Satya!” She was holding a cup of blood and hanging around with Sombra and a few other vampires. As soon as she spotted her sire in the yard she hurried over to her, but her usual limp was quite a bit more pronounced, and she seemed to almost be stumbling a bit.

“Is everything all right?” Satya rested a hand on her shoulder, half-afraid she would fall over. “What is…” She gave Hana a quick sniff. “…that scent on you?”

“Oh, Sombra made mixed drinks for everyone.” She held up her glass, which Satya then realized also held an unfamiliar smell. “It’s really good!”

“Just something to spice up the same old blood taste, y’know?” Sombra took a sip of her own drink. “She’s handling it okay.”

“Is this…alcoholic?” Satya took the drink from Hana and studied it.

Hana giggled. “Just a _little._ ”

Satya’s grip on the glass tightened. “She has never been exposed to alcohol before.”

“Well then this is a perfect way to start her out! It’s super weak. She won’t get more than a little tipsy off it.”

“I’ll be fine, Satya.” Hana pouted. “Can I please have it back?”

Satya stared into the eyes of her fledgling. Her sweet, innocent fledgling. The fact that she was currently under the influence of an external force bothered her in some deep, visceral way. She wasn’t quite sure why it had such a strong negative impact on her, but she had to force herself to tamp down an irrational anger toward Sombra and the other vampires who had allowed her precious Hana to drink poison.

With great reluctance she handed the drink back to Hana. “Be responsible, my love.”

“I will. You can trust me!”

It took all of Satya’s resolve to offer her charge a small, forced smile and then walk away. She was just stepping back inside the house when Amélie called her name.

She turned to find not Amélie, but another familiar, and not exactly friendly, face approaching her.

* * *

 

For a long while they simply stared at one another. Then Amélie appeared behind the new woman, gave Satya a small wave, and called out, “Family reunion!”

“What…how did you…?” Satya took an uncertain step toward the woman. “How did you find us? And why?”

“You stole my phone. I’ve been tracking you every night.”

At that Satya grimaced. _I knew we should have tossed that phone into the water somewhere._ She silently cursed herself for never being able to say no to Hana. “But…why?”

“Because, you–” She bared her teeth, exposing four tiny fangs, “–you did _this_ to me!”

Satya froze. _Oh no._ Sombra had apparently spoken the truth. There was no denying the woman’s fangs were vampiric in nature. “Oh my gosh. I am so sorry.”

The woman hesitated. “…Sorry? You – you did this on purpose, didn’t you? Trying to recruit me into your undead legion or whatever?”

“My what?”

“D-don’t lie to me!” The woman reached out and grabbed Satya by the front of her dress, pulling her closer. “There’s no way you didn’t know this would happen!”

Satya pushed her off. “You must listen to me – Fareeha, was it?” She held her hands out defensively, preventing Fareeha from moving closer. “Please. I am taking care of a younger vampiress, and have cared for her for many years now. She suffers from developmental disabilities and because of that her skill as a hunter is limited. That is why we hunt together. We need to eat. We hunt to survive.”

Fareeha gnashed her fangs. “I thought she needed help. Didn’t realize I was an open buffet table.”

“I do not enjoy this lifestyle,” Satya said. “I do not like having to endanger Hana for every meal we eat. If we could subsist on human food we certainly would.”

“So what? I’m supposed to feel sorry for you?”

“No. I am simply explaining our situation.” Satya looked the other woman over. “So I converted you. You are my fledgling now…and therefore, should you wish it, I will care for you.”

“I don’t want your ‘care’.”

“Then why are you here?”

Fareeha cast a glance around, avoiding Satya’s eyes. “…I don’t really know. I flew out here because I couldn’t stay with my mother and I wasn’t sure where else to go.”

Satya’s eyes widened. “You’ve mastered flight already?”

“Yeah. I took a plane.”

“Oh.”

Fareeha massaged her temples. Satya couldn’t help but notice the heavy bags beneath her eyes. She looked like she’d been through Hell. “I guess I was hoping you’d be this evil mastermind and I’d be able to kill you or something.”

At that Satya fixed her with a knowing look. “You have never killed before.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. Your eyes are too kind. Your mannerisms are too gentle.”

Fareeha stared down at the floor. “I haven’t drank any blood yet, either.”

Satya gaped. “It has been over a week.”

“I know.”

“You – you cannot just go without feeding.”

“No, you cannot.” Amélie reappeared behind Fareeha, running her fingers down the woman’s well-toned arm. “Do you know what happens if you refrain from feeding for too long?”

“I die?” She sounded almost hopeful.

Amélie snickered. “Far from it. Your vampiric instincts kick in, and you devolve into a blood frenzy.”

“What’s a blood frenzy?”

“It’s what happened to you when you attacked your mother with no control over yourself.”

Satya nodded solemnly. “When vampires are starving they enter a sort of primal, bestial state where only their most basic of instincts are active. It…happened to Hana as a child, when I could not find her enough easy prey.” She held up her right arm, which still bore the scars of tiny bite marks up and down its length. “You see no reason in that state. I have no fresh blood in my body, and yet Hana still attacked me, because I was shaped like what she had come to know as food.”

“Jesus.”

“I find myself wondering how a middle-aged human managed to fend you off at all,” Amélie said.

“Well my mother’s ex-military. I am too, but I wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders that night. It was like I was half-asleep.”

“But a vampire does not simply ‘come out’ of a blood frenzy,” Amélie replied. “They continue rampaging until they either get their sustenance or die trying.”

“Well, I don’t know what happened. I woke up and I felt okay. Satisfied, at least.”

Satya glanced to Amélie, but as usual her face showed nothing. “I am inclined to believe that your mother may have fed you some of her blood,” Satya said.

“You…think so?”

“Unless she fed you someone else’s,” Amélie said with a smirk.

Fareeha narrowed her eyes at the floor. “Mother…”

One of the glass doors to the backyard slid open, drawing their attention away from each other. Sombra emerged, with Hana draped over her shoulder and giggling.

“Okay, I’m done with this one.” Sombra shook Hana off and passed her to Satya. “She’s a total lightweight.”

Hana wore a massive grin as Satya examined her. “Are you all right, Hana?” The girl’s teeth were stained with blood. “How much did you drink?”

Hana all but collapsed into Satya’s arms. “A lot,” she murmured, her words slurred. “I’m tired now.”

She closed her eyes, but Satya roused her with snapping fingers. “Try to stay awake until you sober up a little. I won’t have you choking on vomit in your sleep.”

“Ughhhhhh.” Hana rolled her eyes with enough overdramatic flare to make Satya roll her own. Detaching from her sire, she seemed to notice Fareeha for the first time. “Whoa! You’re that lady…from Egypt.”

Fareeha stared at her. “Yeah. I am.”

Hana flopped onto her next, causing Fareeha’s entire body to go rigid. “Your blood was _really_ tasty,” she said with a sleepy smile. “Although the thought of drinking any more blood right now is making me kinda sick.”

Fareeha attempted to push her off, but didn’t exert enough force on the girl to actually do anything. Eventually Hana drew back a little, tipped her head back and gazed up into Fareeha’s tired face. “You’re so _big._ ”

“Gee, thanks.”

With a hand over her mouth Hana turned to Satya and whispered, “ _She heard me!_ ”

“You said it _to her._ ”

Hana’s eyes slid between the two women. Then she dissolved into a fit of drunken laughter.

“All right, that is enough out of you.” Satya took Hana by the arm and led her away. “Excuse me a moment,” she called back to Fareeha. The other woman shifted back and forth, clearly uncertain what to do next.

As soon as Satya and Hana were gone Sombra slunk up beside Fareeha. “Well, since Hana checked out, you wanna be my new drinking buddy?”

Fareeha exhaled. “I guess getting drunk is my most appealing option right now.”

“Awesome. I make a mean michelada.” With that Sombra led her out toward the gathering of vampires still socializing in the backyard.

* * *

 

Despite Satya’s best efforts to keep her awake, eventually Hana passed out. Satya kept a vigilant eye on her, ensuring she slept the alcohol off all right.

 _I have two fledglings now._ Hana was relatively easy to care for, since Satya had raised her in exactly the way she had wanted the girl to grow up. She was smart, quick, and cautious (though perhaps not always as much as Satya would have liked), but beneath that layer of survivability she had a tender, loving heart, and Satya knew exactly what she liked and disliked. Her new fledgling was a grown woman. _How am I to care for her? I do not even know her._

Hana squirmed in her sleep. Satya reached out and rested a gentle hand on the side of her face. Hana's restlessness calmed just a bit.

 _And Hana does not resent me for converting her._ Perhaps that was why they had a relationship unlike that of most sires and their fledglings. Satya’s reason for converting Hana had been just and noble. The same could not be said for the woman she’d converted by playing on her vulnerabilities and then drinking her dry of lifeblood like a parasite.

Fareeha was not abandoned and dying. She was living a perfectly ordinary human life, and would have continued to do so had she not just happened to cross paths with a pair of hungry vampires one fateful night.

Guilt gnawed at Satya. _No, I must not feel guilty about it. All creatures devour others. It is the way of things in this world._

She was reminded then of the time, long ago, when she and Hana had visited a library with late hours and pored over a pile of books about animals that survived on blood. Satya had hoped the knowledge would help Hana feel normal, or at least to not feel entirely unnatural. Most of the books were focused on bats, which Satya found to be the cutest of the bloodsuckers, but for some reason Hana had latched on to fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. For a while she had kept a jar full of “pet ticks”, which she fed droplets of blood left over from feedings.

_Fareeha is probably a bit old for that sort of thing…_

“Nng…”

Satya glanced down at her charge. “Hm?”

Hana furrowed her brow in her sleep. “…Cold…”

Satya delicately pulled the blanket up over Hana’s exposed shoulders. A small, relieved smile warmed the girl’s face. Still very obviously asleep, she murmured, “Thanks, Mom.”

Satya bit her lip. Hana had referred to her genuinely in such a way only a handful of times in her life, mostly when she was extremely tired.

She leaned down and planted a delicate kiss on Hana’s cheek. _My sweet girl. Your parents will never know what they missed out on._

She slipped quietly off the bed, still gazing down at Hana. When she finally turned around she startled at the sight of Fareeha lingering in the doorway.

“Oh, er, hello.” A quick whiff of the other woman told her Fareeha had been drinking. She loomed over Satya, looking liable to fall over at any moment. “…You’ve been drinking as well.”

Fareeha stared down at her. Her eyes were cloudy and unfocused, but she actually looked a little healthier than when Satya had last seen her.

“You know,” Fareeha murmured, her accent noticeably more pronounced through her slurred speech, “drinking alcohol is technically considered haram. But I somehow feel like drinking human blood kinda blows that out of the water.” She blew out a heavy breath. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that being religious and being an immortal, blood-drinking demon of the night don’t coexist too well.”

Satya’s guilt rose up in her throat again. “You are a practicing…Muslim?” She knew very little of the religion, so her question was more of a guess.

Fareeha shrugged. “I kind of half-ass it. Getting tattooed is traditionally haram, too.” She gestured to the ink under her right eye.

“Have you consumed alcohol before?” Satya eyed her uncertainly. She was seemingly struggling to keep her weight balanced, and Satya was afraid she was going to topple right over.

“Just once. It was, um, a really bad time in my…ugh…” As Satya had feared Fareeha stumbled forward. Satya caught her, wrapping her arms around Fareeha’s waist to prevent her from smashing her face into the floor. “S-sorry,” Fareeha mumbled. Satya helped her over to the bed where Hana slumbered, and sat her down gently by Hana’s feet.

As soon as she was seated Fareeha slumped forward, her elbows on her knees. “I can’t believe I drank human blood. And I _liked_ it.”

Careful not to disturb Hana, Satya sat down at Fareeha’s other side. “I can imagine it must be a difficult change to bear.”

“You’re the one who did it to me.” The viciousness in her words sounded forced, a half-hearted attempt to stoke the fire of anger she had arrived in Annecy with.

“I would never have bitten you had I known the effects it would have. I was under the impression that multiple bites were required to convert a human.” She glanced pointedly at Hana. The girl’s pale neck bore two dark, garish scars from the multiple times Satya had bitten her in her infancy.

Following her stare, Fareeha said, “So you attacked her, too?”

“No.” She leaned over and trailed a hand through Hana’s tousled hair. “I saved her. And she saved me, as well.”

Hana stirred slightly at her touch. She opened her big brown eyes for just a moment; upon verifying that it was Satya touching her she let them drift shut again.

“I inherited my vampirism from my father,” Satya explained, keeping her voice low so as to not wake Hana again. “My mother was human.”

“So you were born a vampire?”

Satya nodded. “Eventually my father converted my mother – she desired it. She wanted to be around to see me grow up. Vampires age far, far more slowly than humans, as you may have guessed.”

Fareeha looked her over. “Do you still see them?”

Satya’s eyes lowered. “They were discovered while we were hiding out in a city in Korea. Some humans figured out what we were. They swarmed us. My mother and father protected me, at the expense of their own lives.”

Fareeha raised her eyebrows. “So both your parents were killed by humans?”

“Yes.” Despite the centuries that had passed since then, any reminder of her family’s fate still stung her. “Developmentally I was only a child, so I was…lost. I wanted nothing to do with humanity after that. I shed my associations with human civilization and took to living in the woods. I taught myself how to fly and how to fight, and as time wore on I became virtually feral – and I was not cautious when attacking humans.”

“I can see that,” Fareeha murmured. Satya huffed.

“As I said, _you_ were an accident. Anyway…eventually humans came after me. They roamed my forests, forcing me to remain on the move. I was hiding from a band of would-be vampire hunters the night I found Hana.”

“’Found’ her?”

“This was a different time. Humans abandoned sick children to avoid spreading the disease to their other offspring – or so I have heard. One night I was on the run from the hunters when I heard the cry of a tiny child in the middle of the woods.”

“She was human then?”

“And deathly ill. On a whim I took her up in my arms, and I could smell death clinging to her. The both of us orphaned, I could not help but sympathize with the helpless little mortal. Thus I bit her, beginning her on the path to a new life.”

Fareeha glanced over at Hana. “So she would’ve died without you.”

“Cold and alone. Never knowing that the world could hold anything but fear and pain.”

Fareeha slouched down even more, resting her chin on a palm. Her words still slurred, she muttered, “Why can’t you just be heartless, evil monsters for me to hate?”

“I am sorry we do not meet your…expectations.”

“When you were coming at me that night, flying after my truck, it was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen. You were like a real, actual demon. And you had this look in your eyes like you were gonna rip me to shreds.”

“You took Hana and drove off with her. I _was_ going to rip you to shreds.”

Fareeha rubbed her forehead. “Not like I could’ve done much with her…I barely got in the door of my house before I started throwing up all over the place. Then I apparently passed out on the floor. I woke up to Mother shaking me awake. The floor was all covered in puke and puddles of sweat around me.”

Satya frowned. “You must have been highly sensitive to the toxin in our saliva.”

“I was so sick I couldn’t get off the kitchen floor. Mother was going to call an ambulance, but after what I’d seen…I knew they wouldn’t be able to help me.”

“Did you tell your mother about us?”

“Yeah.”

“Did she believe you?”

“Yeah, she did. Mother’s seen a lot of crazy shit in her life. And I don’t think she’d ever seen me so shaken up before.”

That drew Satya’s concern. “So your mother knows about us. Did you tell her where you were headed?”

“We both have an app on our phone that lets us know where the other one is. So yeah, she was able to track the phone Hana stole, too. I got a replacement and canceled the service on that one, but the GPS function still works.”

Satya froze. _Fareeha’s human mother can pinpoint exactly where we are._ “She wouldn’t…come after us or anything, would she?”

“Probably not? I’m planning on calling her in the morning and updating her on everything.”

“So you plan to stay here?”

Fareeha sighed. “Where else can I go?”

Uncertain what else to say, Satya reached out and rested a hand on Fareeha’s shoulder. Fareeha tensed, but did not pull away. “Well, as I said, you are my responsibility now. I will look after you as I do Hana. I can teach you how to hunt, how to fly, all of our ways that you will eventually come to rely upon.”

Fareeha’s eyes slid to the hand on her shoulder. “I don’t really need someone to look after me…I’m a grown woman. Hell, my mother only lives with me because she faked her own death for years and has no legal property anymore.” She rubbed one glassy eye. “…I don’t know why I’m telling you that. God, being drunk is awful. Why would anyone do this for fun?”

Satya retreated a little. “I, er, did not mean in literally the same way I care for Hana. I would not parent you. We would be more akin to something like a master and apprentice. I would be passing my learned skills down to you.”

Fareeha seemed to mull it over. “I mean, I guess that’s the only real option for me, isn’t it? Can’t go back to my security job when I’m the biggest threat around.”

“So you will allow me to teach you?”

With another deep sigh, Fareeha replied, “I guess.”

“Wonderful!” Satya’s response caused Hana to stir. Quieting herself, she added, “I think you will come to enjoy the freedom of this life.”

“Mhm.” Fareeha looked less than convinced. Her shoulders were drooped, as if weighted with a great burden. The ensuing silence that followed her short response gave time for Satya’s guilt to resurface.

“So,” she said, desperately trying to distract herself from feeling terrible again, “you have not mentioned leaving any other family behind.”

“Oh yeah. My dad’s not really in the picture.” Fareeha’s slurring was getting worse as she grew evidently more tired, or perhaps the alcohol was still working its way through her system. “I mean, I see him sometimes, but not much.”

“You are…” She wasn’t sure if it was considered proper human etiquette to ask what she had in mind, but she decided she would not know unless she ventured to say it aloud. “Do you have a – a mate?”

“A mate?” To Satya’s surprise, Fareeha actually smirked a little. “Uh, no.”

That answer surprised Satya. “Really? But you seem so fit and healthy. You are not considered desirable to human males?”

Fareeha barked out a laugh. Hana groaned and muttered something, causing Fareeha to cover her own mouth and quiet down. “Um, I might be? I wouldn’t really know. Or care.”

“Interesting. I thought mating and reproduction was the end goal for all mammals.”

“I’m a little bit of an, um, evolutionary…outlier? Something like that.”

Satya tilted her head, still studying her new fledgling with great interest. “I do not understand. What do you mean by that?”

“I mean I don’t really have any plans for reproducing. At least not with men.” She sighed and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “I think I’m gonna go to bed before I say anything else stupid.”

“Did I speak out of turn? If so I am sorry. I am not used to conversing with humans, or even recent converts.”

“No, no, it’s…” She reached out and patted Satya’s shoulder a few times, a little harder than Satya would have preferred. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

She tried to get to her feet, but was still unsteady. Satya held on to her as she staggered out of Hana’s room. “So this is…” Fareeha reached out and gestured weakly toward a door with a yet-uncarved name plate above it. “This is my room, I guess.”

Satya helped her inside, then eased her down onto the bed. “I was concerned for Hana to fall asleep after drinking,” she said. “I am concerned for you as well.”

Fareeha waved her off, already turned over to face away from her. “I’ll be fine. Hey, best case I die, right?”

“Do not speak like that!” Satya forcibly turned her back over. Fareeha looked a bit surprised by that. “Do not wish for death, my fledgling. I promise that you will come to enjoy life again in time.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Fareeha yawned and stretched, exposing a sliver of her stomach from beneath the tank top she wore. Satya found her eyes drawn to it, though she quickly looked away when Fareeha caught her staring. “And I mean, who knows,” she added with a dry chortle, “maybe I’ll find a ‘mate’.”

Satya brightened at that. “Yes, that is a good, positive outlook! Vampiresses cannot carry children, but–”

“Don’t care about that,” Fareeha replied, her voice muffled as she pushed her face into the overstuffed pillow beneath her.

“Er, of course. Well in that case, perhaps you truly will find something you are looking for here.”

“Mhm.” Fareeha’s eyes drifted shut. “Goodnight.”

“Oh, goodnight! I will – I will leave you alone to sleep now.” Satya took a few steps toward the door. As she was reaching for the light switch nearby it, Fareeha spoke up one more time.

“When I’m sober I’m probably gonna be a lot more upset with you guys still,” she murmured.

“Understandable. I will not hold it against…”

Her sensitive ears picked up on Fareeha’s slow, heavy breaths. She had fallen asleep almost immediately. _She must be exhausted after all she has been through._

With a silent nod in her direction, Satya flicked Fareeha’s room lights off and excused herself for the night.

* * *

 

The next evening Hana was groggy and sour-tempered upon waking, so Satya opted to let her rest a bit longer. Since they shared a room, that left Satya unable to hang around for fear of waking her. Instead she opted to wander the mansion a bit.

Some residents were already up, but most were still resting, it seemed. Upon passing Fareeha’s room she noticed the door was cracked ajar, and the room appeared to be empty. The only other open door in the hall was the one just across from Fareeha’s. A very fresh-looking carving into a wooden sign above that door read, “Lena”.

 _Hm._ Was Fareeha off exploring? Was she with this “Lena”? The thought bothered Satya for reasons she couldn’t quite articulate. _But where would they go?_

“Hey.”

Satya startled a bit. Hana was standing behind her, rubbing the sleep out of one eye. Her hair was a tousled mess and she was still in the nightshirt Amélie had given her. “Goin’ somewhere without me?”

“I was trying to let you rest.” Satya pushed the door to Fareeha’s room all the way open. “Fareeha is not here. I was simply wondering where she could be.”

“You know her scent. Sniff her out.”

“That…seems like a violation of her privacy.”

Hana shrugged.

With a sigh, Satya stepped inside Fareeha’s room. It was still quite bare, but there was a tank top folded over the end of the bed. Satya picked it up and brought it close to her face. She pressed her nose against it and inhaled deeply. Immediately she was assailed by a cocktail of scents, none of them unpleasant to her senses – she could smell flesh, and a bit of blood, and something musky – what must have been some sort of hormonal scent. It had a strange effect on Satya, flushing her cheeks and filling her head with thoughts normally quite alien to her.

“Uh…”

Satya pulled the shirt away from her face and glanced over to Hana, who was pulling something out of Fareeha’s closet. “Do not go snooping through her–”

Hana dropped a duffel bag on the floor. A half-dozen wooden stakes, a fistful of capped vials of water, and a bulb of garlic spilled out.

The two of them stared down at it. Hana picked up one of the stakes, wrapping her pale fingers around it.

“Perhaps this was a last resort in case we attacked her again,” Satya offered.

Hana dumped the bag out completely. It was absolutely filled with stereotypical vampire-killing weapons. “This would be enough to kill everyone here, if any of it actually worked.”

Satya knelt down and picked up a vial of presumed holy water. “Would Amélie not have checked her for weapons before allowing her inside?”

“This stuff is pretty useless, so…”

“Yes, but it shows intent to harm.”

“Well at least one of the vampires here is a converted vampire hunter. I guess Amélie isn’t scared of that kind of stuff.”

Satya packed the items back into the bag, and returned it to the closet. “Let us locate her first. Then we may question her.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With all the old-school goth music references in these chapter titles I couldn't miss the opportunity to name this chapter after [the song](https://youtu.be/433S3tuuB94)

“This is…horrible.”

The basement was lined with bodies on medical examination tables. They were covered by black blankets, but one could clearly see the tubing leeching blood from all of them. It was collecting in massive tanks in each corner of the room.

Fareeha and the vampiress she had just met, a small British woman by the name of Lena, sat on the stairs to the basement, gazing over the horrific sight.

“This could’ve been me,” Lena uttered. “Amélie gave me the ‘choice’ – join her or end up here. I was selfish. I could have sacrificed myself so someone else could be spared. ‘Stead I chose to stay at the top of the food chain. Maybe I’m as bad as they are.”

“No way.” Fareeha threw an arm out toward the gruesome sight in front of them. “ _This_ isn’t a choice. No one would choose this.”

Lena stared down at the floor. “I guess.”

“Why did she spare you, anyway? You seem like you really hate vampires.”

“For a while I had no idea myself. But then I started to realize, I think it’s because of how I react to stuff.”

“What do you mean?”

Lena sighed. “I try not to, but everything she says and does just bothers me so damn much – so I always end up taking the bait and reacting to her. I think she finds it funny or somethin’. Entertainin’, at least. I think that’s why she keeps me around.”

For a while they simply stared out over the expanse of slightly-squirming human bodies entrapped before them. Then Fareeha said, “Can’t you just leave?”

Lena sighed heavily, as if she’d asked herself the same question before. “The thing is, if I leave here then I’d have to hunt. I don’t know if I could attack innocent people like that.”

“Maybe you could just…” Fareeha hesitated. “I mean, it sounds horrible, but maybe you’d be happier if you just let yourself starve. I mean, you’d die, but…”

Lena chuckled humorlessly. “Ya think I haven’t tried that?” Her fingers curled into loose fists. “When I first got here I refused to eat. At first I was all right, but as the nights went on I started losin’ it little by little. After a while I was a stark-ravin’ bloody maniac. I barely remember anything from that time…”

“That must be the ‘blood frenzy’ Amélie mentioned.”

“And the worst part is how god damn _nice_ she was about it,” Lena spat. “She was so…ugh, she tied my arms up, but then she stayed with me, feedin’ me little sips of blood until my body accepted it and I eventually went back to normal again. And even after that she stayed with me until she was sure I was all right. She wiped the blood off my chin and talked to me until I was with it again.” With a snarl, she all but shouted, “I hate her!”

Fareeha reached out and patted her on the back. Lena sniffled, and only then did Fareeha realize she had started to cry.

“My girlfriend thinks I’m dead,” she whispered in a choked voice. “I figured it was better off that way.”

Fareeha frowned. “How long ago did you get converted?”

“Almost two years, now.” Lena bit her lip. “For all I know she could be with someone else by now. She has no idea…”

“That’s rough. I’m sorry.”

Lena buried her face in her hands.

Frustrated by her inability to help, Fareeha got to her feet. Her eyes locked on to the nearest human. “We’ve got to set these people free,” she declared.

At that Lena lifted her head. “You – you can’t just do that. …Can you?”

“I can damn well try.”

She strode over to one of the closest humans. Their head was covered by the blanket. Taking a careful breath in, Fareeha reached down and yanked the cover back. “Oh, _God._ ”

A filthy, battered human lay unconscious on the table. His pale, emaciated body was hooked up to a dozen tubes and wires, and his mouth was bound with several layers of duct tape.

“Christ,” Lena whispered, “is he even alive?”

“Hey.” Fareeha nudged the human gently. “Are you alive?”

The human’s eyes pulled slowly open. As soon as his pupils fixed on Fareeha – more specifically on her fangs – they dilated with terror. He squirmed in his restraints, squealing weakly through the tape.

“Shh.” Fareeha held a hand out. “Don’t be scared. We want to get you out of here.”

“Mmh!” The man – no, upon closer inspection he seemed fairly young, a young man – was shaking all over. As she drew the blankets back she realized with horror that two of his limbs, an arm and a leg, had been amputated at some point. The single hand he possessed twitched wildly as blood flowed from a tube in his wrist.

“Lena, help me undo all this stuff.” Fareeha nodded to the restraints holding his leg down. She was already working on freeing his arm.

Lena immediately started shredding into the thick leather strap with her razor-sharp nails. Fareeha bit at the arm strap. _At least these fangs are good for something._

“So what’re we gonna do with all those humans once we free ‘em?” Lena asked.

“We’ll figure something out. We have t-“

The basement door swung open, killing Fareeha’s words in her throat.

* * *

 

Of all the places to find her new fledgling, Satya had not expected the basement full of feeder humans to be one of them. She also didn’t expect her to be chewing one of the humans out of his restraints.

“Fareeha, what are you doing?” She attempted to temper her voice and sound casual. It proved impossible.

Fareeha glanced from Satya to Hana, then down at the human cowering beneath her. “Um, liberating Amélie’s human prisoners.”

“Why…?”

“Because it’s sick? Look at this.” Fareeha gestured to the man. His skin was deathly pale, almost translucent, and he was so painfully thin that all of his frail human bones were visible. He was filthy too, and his wild blonde hair was grease-filled and marred with what almost looked like soot.

Hana crept up beside Fareeha to study the human. The more vampires showed up, the more panicked he seemed, making desperate human noises through the tape that bound his mouth.

Satya could not tell quite what Hana was thinking, but it was definitely not positive.

“Humans are living things,” Fareeha mumbled. “We – they don’t deserve this.”

It _was_ a horrific sight to behold.

Moving a hand near the man’s face, Fareeha said, “I’m gonna take the tape off, but you have to _promise_ to be quiet. If you scream, or yell, or even just talk too loudly, this whole rescue attempt will fail. Do you promise to be quiet?”

The man nodded furiously. His eyes were still wide, and flicking between the vampires above him.

With one forceful _rip_ Fareeha tore the tape off. The man gasped, then hissed, presumably in pain. The skin around his mouth was red and welted, as if the tape had been in place for many weeks, or perhaps even months.

“You”–his voice was hoarse from disuse–“why are you doin’ this? What’s your plan?” Though his words were spoken harshly, there was next to no strength behind them. He had none to spare.

As Satya stepped closer, she picked up on a familiar scent. She clasped a hand on Hana’s shoulder and drew her back a little. When Hana opened her mouth to question her, Satya whispered, “Death has already taken hold within him.”

Hana’s gaze lowered to the floor. “I feel bad. This is really awful.”

Despite her distrust of and distaste for humans, Satya couldn’t help but agree. Hunting in the wild was a little hypnosis, a quick bite, and then in most cases the human could continue their average lives with no memory of what had transpired. But this…this was nothing but suffering.

“How did you get here?” The brunette vampiress, whom Satya assumed must have been ‘Lena’, asked the man. “Were you a vampire hunter?”

The human coughed weakly. “Thought this place might’ve been hidin’ some treasure…”

“So you’re a thief?”

He nodded.

“So you broke in and tried to steal some stuff,” Fareeha concluded. “I don’t condone theft – hell, I’m a security guard -  but this punishment does _not_ fit the crime. How long have you been here?”

“No…” He coughed again, a dry rattle in his throat. His every breath reeked of death. “…No idea, mate.”

“Fareeha.” Satya leveled her with a stare she hoped conveyed her seriousness about the situation. “He is dying.”

The man’s breaths were quick and shallow, his rib cage clearly visible with every inhalation.

Fareeha’s eyes widened. She looked to Lena, who nodded solemnly. “No way,” she mumbled, “we can save him. We can save all these humans.”

With his restraints off, Fareeha tried to sit the man up. The moment she did so his face drained completely of color, and he slumped forward onto her. “He’s lost a ton of blood,” Lena said. “Amélie just keeps taking from them until they get so weak that they eventually die. Then she just replaces them.”

The man was clearly only semi-conscious. There was no way he was going to be able to stand up.

Fareeha turned and glanced at the rest of the humans under blankets throughout the room. There were at least a dozen of them. “If you really want to save a human,” Satya said, “perhaps there are others in better condition.”

“Better condition?? It’s a human life, not a – a collectors’ piece!”

Hana moved to stand over him again. Leaning in close to the human, she whispered, “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

The human studied her. His dry lips parted, weak breaths barely escaping them. It seemed as though he was attempting to speak, but his vocal chords, along with the rest of his body, were failing him.

Satya, however, was focused only on Hana.

Hana leaned down to the human, as close as to practically breathe his very breaths. Then, before anyone could stop her, she dove for his throat and sank her teeth clean into it. The man’s ensuing scream was cut short as she clamped a hand over his mouth.

“What are you doing?” Fareeha reached out as if to pull her off, but stopped a few centimeters from her.

Satya said nothing. When Hana’s eyes flicked over to her, she gave her fledgling a simple, sage nod. _My sweet girl. You make me so proud._

“Why would you do that?” Fareeha paced behind Hana. “What are you trying to do?”

The shock of the toxin in Hana’s saliva paralyzed the human almost instantly. Weak from starvation and chronic loss of blood, he could only stare up at Hana with wide, terrified eyes. Then his body started to convulse. He twitched and jerked uncontrollably for several seconds – then his eyes glazed over. He collapsed to the table, unmoving.

“What happened?” Fareeha whispered after a moment.

Hana looked him over silently. In her stead Satya replied, “He is dead.”

“Dead??” Fareeha grabbed his one remaining wrist and felt for a pulse. Finding none, she dropped his arm back down again. “Why did you…?”

“Yes, I am wondering myself why you’re chewing on my livestock.”

If Satya’s heart were functional it would have stopped dead in her chest. She turned slowly to find Amélie standing at the top of the stairs. With all eyes on her she descended the steps, silent as a ghost.

“Um, well _Fareeha_ ”–Hana pointed to the other woman–“said we were going to, uh, what was the word you used again? ‘Liberate’?”

Fareeha swallowed visibly. “Um. Yeah.”

To Satya’s shock, Amélie threw her head back and laughed. “Such passion! You are a sweet one, so dedicated to your morality.” She ran an idle hand through her hair, which was still a bit tousled from sleeping on it. In fact she was still in her black silk nightgown and red fleece slippers as well. “I can see why your sire has taken a liking to you.”

“News to me…”

She strolled over to Fareeha and rested a hand on her arm. “You see, the life of a vampire can be so utterly _boring._ Fledglings like you, and Lena”–she cast a pointed glance at her own scowling fledgling–“give us a reason to maintain any interest in this world.”

“I knew it,” Lena muttered.

“You are very entertaining, my dear.” Amélie reached out and patted Lena on the head. Lena snarled.

“So, uh…” Hana broke up their banter with an uncertain gesture toward the dead human on the table before them.

Amélie quirked a brow. “Dead already?”

“Um, for now.”

Amélie pursed her lips. “And am I going to see any reparations for you converting one of my food sources?”

“You can’t just keep humans here like this.” Fareeha’s voice shook, but she pressed on anyway. “It’s wrong.”

“Well, it is my only option. No one here wants to hunt enough to feed everyone.”

“How would that even work?” Hana asked.

“You collect the blood from humans with syringes…or you kill them and drain their blood into pitchers.”

“Sounds like it’d take a lot of syringes of blood to feed everyone here.”

“And now you see why I keep humans.”

“There’s got to be a better way.” Fareeha clenched her fists. “What about, like, synthetic blood?”

“Synthetic blood?” Amélie eyed her curiously. “Is that a recent human invention?”

“Um, fairly recent, I think? I just know that it exists.”

Amélie tapped her chin. “Interesting. I do not _enjoy_ keeping humans in my home. If I could find an acceptable, nutritionally-adequate substitute I would gladly let them go.”

“So if we managed to find a source of artificial blood, and it fed us the same as human blood, you’d stop trapping humans like this?”

Amélie shrugged. “Sure. It means nothing to me either way.”

Fareeha looked around at the other vampires, clearly trying to rally them. “Well I think we should start researching alternative food sources, then!”

The only person who shared an iota of her enthusiasm was Lena. “Yeah, I’m all for it!”

“Great!” Fareeha pumped a fist. “Who knows, maybe this could revolutionize vampire society as a whole. Maybe someday we’ll even be able to shake off the stigma of vampirism and coexist peacefully and openly with humankind–”

“I think your fledgling is on a runaway train of thought,” Amélie whispered to Satya.

Satya cleared her throat. “Er, perhaps, but let us take this one step at a time, Fareeha.”

“Right. …Sorry.”

Her enthusiasm was, admittedly, more than a little endearing. “You and Lena are versed in modern technology. Perhaps you can spend tonight researching whether or not this is a realistic possibility.”

“You got it,” Lena replied.

“Um.” Hana cleared her throat. When the focus was back on her she nodded to the human on the table. His fingers were beginning to twitch.

“He is _your_ fledgling now, young Hana,” Amélie said. “ _You_ decide what to do with the dirty thief. By the way,” she gestured to a trunk in the far corner of the room, “his prosthetics are in there. I hardly wanted to touch them.”

Hana stared down at the fresh young vampire. It would probably take a few hours for him to awaken fully. “Guess I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“I have empty rooms here. I’ll have someone clean him up and bring him upstairs.” Amélie retrieved a key from what Satya could only deduce was the inside of her bra. “And, nothing personal, but I think I’m going to be keeping the basement locked for a while.”

* * *

 

The human awoke seven long hours after being bitten. Despite all the time spent resting, his body was still quite weak – it took him a good few minutes to even muster the strength to stand up. “Ugh.” He rubbed his head. Hana had reattached his prosthetics while he was out, and he seemed surprised when he realized he had four limbs again.

“How are you feeling?” Hana asked. She had camped out in an armchair beside the bed, determined to be there when the new vampire first awoke.

The no-longer-human observed his organic arm. It still had a hole from where Amélie had been extracting blood from it. “Why’d you let me outta there?” He answered her question with one of his own. He had a strange accent, and it was quite thick. Hana had trouble understanding him at first. “Aren’t you a bloodsucker, too?”

“I am. But you were dying, and I felt bad. So I…”

The man stared at her, waiting. In spite of his rough, shaggy appearance, his eyes were actually quite soft. If he were still human Hana could definitely see herself and Satya targeting him in a hunt.

“I bit you,” she finished. “To save your life I turned you into one of us.”

“Whaaat?!” He hopped up off the bed – and immediately collapsed. Hana tried to catch him, but he towered over her, so she didn’t exactly have much success. Instead they crashed to the floor in a heap.

Hana clambered to her feet, then helped her fledgling up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”

He sat down on the bed with his head in his hands. “God, I’m…starvin’.” One hand drifted to his bare stomach. “Is it weird that’s all I can think about right now?”

“Not weird at all, actually.” Hana fetched a glass from the nightstand. “That’s pretty much how everyone feels when they first wake up.”

He eyed the glass warily. “You gonna feed me my own blood?”

“It’s not yours. It’s from a different human.”

“Oh, that makes me feel better.” He snatched the glass from her and took a whiff of it. “So…blood, huh.”

Hana nodded.

He held it to his nose and sniffed it again. “Doesn’t smell as bad as I thought it would.”

“Sombra cut it with some juice. It’s not pure blood.”

He didn’t bother to question who Sombra was. With a great deal of visible hesitation, he tipped the glass and took a swig.

Hana watched, awaiting his reaction. He smacked his lips a few times, nodded thoughtfully – and then chugged the whole glass down. “Damn, that’s good stuff!” He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “Any chance I could, uh, get some more?” His golden eyes were glimmering now, the signature trait of a freshly-fed vampire.

“So now you’re all about drinking blood?”

“Hey, you didn’t tell me it was this good! Maybe you vamps are onto somethin’!” He was smiling, which Hana took as a good sign.

“You’re being surprisingly good about this whole thing,” Hana said.

“Hell, anything beats bein’ a stuck pig in that basement.”

Hana went and retrieved two glasses of pure blood from one of Amélie’s refrigerators. When she returned he eagerly grabbed one from her. Hana sat down opposite him, taking a sip from her own glass. “So what’s your name, anyway?” she asked him.

He had the second glass of blood guzzled down in seconds. Once it was empty he exhaled, set it down on the nightstand, and said, “Jamison.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hana.”

Jamison looked her over. “Don’t suppose you old vamps keep up with, uh, current events.”

“What do you mean?”

He smiled a crooked little smile. “Let’s just say I’m no stranger to makin’ the news.”

Hana folded her arms and smirked. “Oh yeah? How so?”

“My buddy and I were on an international crime spree when we got caught here. Well, _I_ got caught…he was waitin’ for me outside the fence. Prob’ly thinks I got torn apart in here.”

“So you’re a famous criminal?”

“’Famous’ is an int’restin’ choice of word…’infamous’, maybe.” He snickered. “Yeah, we stole everything from arcade prizes in Japan to the crown jewels in England.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Jamison scratched his chin. “Uh…oh, I remember! We were tryin’ to buy our way back into Junkertown.”

“Junkertown?”

“Yeah, it’s where all us Junkers live back home in the Outback. The Queen wanted us gone, but we were gonna buy our way back into her good graces. Well, _pretend_ to anyway…we were plannin’ on blowin’ the place skyward once we got in. _Kaboom!_ ”

Hana simply stared at him as he threw his arms out and grinned. His life was so wildly different from anything she’d ever experienced.

“So what about you?” Jamison stretched and leaned back in the bed. “What’s your deal, Hannah?”

Hana blinked. “It’s ‘Hana’.”

“Oi, whatever.”

“Um, well, I was converted as a baby by my sire, Satya. I’m almost two hundred years old. …That’s pretty much it.”

“You from around here?”

“No. We don’t really have a permanent home. Satya found me in Korea.”

“That lady who runs the place here…” Jamison shuddered. “She’s bloody terrifyin’. You friends with her?”

“Not really. We just got here a few weeks ago.”

Jamison breathed a sigh of relief. Then, his mind apparently jumping elsewhere, he said, “Once I’m strong enough again you wanna come on my crime spree with me? I’ll have to get into contact with ol’ Hoggie again, too…”

“Um, I’m not really interested in human riches. You’re still gonna do that?”

“’Course! I still want my revenge on that nasty queen.” He rubbed his hands together and cackled. “And now I’m some kinda super-powered, blood-suckin’ beastie too – the Junkers’ll never see it comin’! Hahahaha!”

Hana made a face. “Haven’t you been gone for, like, months?”

“Uh, something like that. Why?”

“Why bother going back now? Nobody came looking for you. You might as well just stay somewhere you’re actually wanted.”

Jamison hesitated. “…You want me here?”

“Sure! You seem interesting to talk to, at the very least.”

Jamison ran a hand through his patchy blonde hair. “…The folk in Junkertown always said I talked too damn much. No one really liked me there anyways. I was just gonna go back to blow the place to smithereens with a metric fuck-ton of explosives.”

“Forget that. Just stay here!”

“Eh. I’ll think about it.”

Hana sat down on the bed beside him. They spent a minute just silently studying each other. Hana had very little experience talking to males, human or vampire. It was interesting, in a novel sort of way.

“Hey,” Hana said, “want to see something cool?”

“Sure?”

She reached around and tugged her shirt tight to her back. Through two carefully-hewn slits in its fabric her pale white wings emerged and spread open. Jamison’s eyes went wide as she drew them in around her shoulders, partially cocooning herself in their massive wingspan.

With one wingtip she brushed the side of Jamison’s face. “Aren’t they cool?”

“Oh…wow…” Jamison was just staring at her. “Those are…that’s…”

She flapped them gently, teasing his face with a tickling breeze. Jamison reached out with his organic hand. His fingers brushed the thin, almost translucent flesh, and slid along it until they reached the edges.

Then suddenly he drew away. “S-sorry,” he murmured.

Hana quirked a brow. “Why are you sorry?”

“I, uh…” He remained turned away from her. “I don’t talk to girls too much. Or, uh, ever, really.”

“Oh, that’s okay! I’ve never really talked to a boy before. It’s always just been me and Satya.”

Still Jamison simply stared at the wall, faced completely away. Hana noticed he had pulled a fistful of blanket over his lap.

“What’s up?” Hana leaned over in front of him. “Are you not feeling well, or–” Her hand settled on the blanket – and she felt something unusual sticking up from beneath it.

Jamison leaped back, the blanket slipping off his dingy shorts. Hana’s eyes went wide as she stared down at where it had previously been.

“Is that…your penis?”

“Guh–” He must have still possessed enough blood flow to flush his face blood red. “You’re just – you’re just really pretty, okay?! And ya smell good and you’re on my bed. It ain’t my fault I’m a guy with wants and needs!”

“Aww, that’s cute!” Hana squished her cheeks. “I’m flattered. I can’t mate with you, though – I’m a vampire. We can’t reproduce.”

“Yeah, that’s not…” He trailed off, seeming unsure how to finish his own sentence.

They avoided eye contact until Hana broke the silence again. “Would it be weird for a sire and fledgling to mate, anyway?”

“You’re askin’ me? I don’t know a damn thing about bloodsucker culture.” A moment passed, and then he added, “Why? You, uh, you’re not thinkin’ about that, are ya?”

Hana shrugged. “I’ve never done anything like that before. I’m a little curious.”

Jamison’s already beet-red face somehow managed to flush an even deeper scarlet. “I don’t have much in the way of experience, neither,” he murmured. “I ain’t exactly a chick magnet lookin’ the way I do.”

“Aw, _I_ think you’re cute. Don’t know how conventionally attractive you are to human females, but…” By that point Hana’s dangerous curiosity had overtaken any other feelings about the situation.

Jamison managed a small smile, exposing his surprisingly-well-developed fangs. “Well shit, uh, guess I wouldn’t say no if you were to–”

Hana pounced on him. They brought their faces close together, both grinning like devils then.

 _I don’t know if I should let Satya find out about this._ Hana hesitated but a moment. _Eh, whatever. She’s got two fledglings to worry about now. She’ll be too busy looking after new girl to get mad at me over something stupid like this._

* * *

 

Satya watched Fareeha as she executed a masterful control over her “cell phone”. She was pulling up all sorts of knowledge and information in the blink of an eye. Her fingers swept deftly over the screen – they worked with such precision. Such purpose.

“There’s apparently a really high-end medical center that synthesizes blood in its own labs for patients who can’t accept organic blood transfusions.”

Satya’s eyes remained fixed on Fareeha’s hands. “Where is it?”

“Switzerland.”

“Is that…near here?” Satya was much more familiar with the geography of Asia, and even northern Africa, than with that of Western Europe.

“Uhh…” Fareeha tapped her phone some more. “Oh, yeah, I guess it’s actually not too far away. Like a six-hour drive?”

“Would we be driving?”

“I mean, we could fly there, but it’d be pretty expensive…”

“And we would have to wait until I teach you how to fly and you master it. Are your wings even grown in yet?”

“I meant fly in an airplane. Like how I got here.”

“Ah. Right.”

After a moment of silence Fareeha asked, “Am I really going to grow wings?”

Satya nodded. “At least, I should think so. Hana developed them. Some vampires are capable of full shapeshifting into a creature of choice, but all that I have known have wings at the very least.”

Fareeha set her phone down, then reached around and felt about her back. Suddenly her eyes went wide. “Wait, what’s this?”

“What? Do you feel something there?”

“Yeah, I think I do. Where’s the closest mirr–right. It’s a house of vampires.” She hopped up off her bed and spun around, trying to get a look at her own back. “Fuck. I can’t see it.”

Satya watched her uncertainly. “Erm, I could take a look…”

Fareeha stopped. “Yeah? You would?”

“Certainly. But you would need…to…”

Fareeha pulled her shirt off over her head and tossed it to the bedspread. Satya clutched her heart. “Oh, er, all right–”

Her back was perfectly toned, and even with dead, greying flesh it was a lovely shade of tan. She wore a simple black bra, and, sure enough, tucked beneath the strap were two tiny nubs where wings would eventually be.

Satya stumbled over her words as she dared to reach out and touch them. “You – you do have – um, the start of – they’re, er, right here.”

Fareeha half-turned, exposing her equally-toned abs. Satya nearly fainted. “Huh? So I have them?”

“Y…yes.” Satya averted her eyes, trying to collect herself.

Fareeha threw her shirt back on. “So someday I’ll be able to fly. That’s…crazy.”

“It will be sooner than ‘someday’, my dear. In fact, at least in Hana’s case the wing growth occurred quite rapidly.”

Fareeha sat back down on the bed. Satya drifted over to the blacked-out window, staring out through its heavy tint. It was raining outside. Thunder clapped in the faint distance, and for one brief moment the sky was lit up with electricity, giving her a clear view of the churning river and the surrounding forests, their trees swaying in the stormy breeze.

“Why did you bring so many weapons here, Fareeha?”

Her question plunged the room into a tense silence. When she turned around Fareeha was just staring at her.

“We found it all in your closet,” she added.

Fareeha folded her arms across her chest. “I told you guys that I wanted to come here and kill you. I planned on it.”

“The second you so much as made a move in Hana’s direction I would have killed you instantly. You know that, right?”

“Have you killed humans before?” Fareeha asked.

“Many. I do not enjoy killing, but I had to do it to fill Hana’s baby bottles. Infants are not exactly skillful hunters.”

Fareeha’s eyes widened a bit, though she kept her gaze on the floor.

Satya came and sat back down beside her. “As long as you understand that I can and will kill anyone who poses a threat to her, even at the expense of my own life, then I believe we can make this situation work.”

Fareeha finally looked up into Satya’s piercing scarlet eyes. Her eyes were so soft by comparison – Satya could easily see why Hana had been able to manipulate her. “I would never hurt her, anyway,” Fareeha said. “I couldn’t. The two of you…” She paused, then said, “My dad was never really in the picture, so it was always just me and my mom. You and Hana kind of remind me of how it used to be with us.” At that she actually chuckled a little. “Pretty sure Mother would have killed anyone who tried to mess with me, too.”

“So you understand.”

“Yeah.”

“Good. She is all I have in this world, and I do not intend to lose her.”

They studied each other a moment. Then Fareeha said, “While I’m here I guess I might as well look out for her, too.”

“I do not know that that is necessary.”

“I worked for and was trained by one of the most respected private security companies in the world. You’d say no to that?”

“You also brought dozens upon dozens of weapons here to murder us. Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

Neither seemed to have much to say after that. It was awkward, like something _should_ be said, but Satya had no idea what that something should have been.

Eventually Fareeha picked her phone back up and returned her attention to info-searching. Satya used that moment as a chance to excuse herself from the awkwardness. “Let me know what you find out about that place,” she said, “and then we may broach the subject with Amélie.”

“All right.”

Fareeha caught her eye on last time before she left the room. Satya’s step faltered a bit. “L-let me know if you need anything?” she decided to say.

“I should be okay. But thanks.” Her soft brown eyes were warm. She had apparently not taken Satya’s suspicions of her to heart.

“Very well.” Satya hesitated in the doorway. “So, er, see you later…then.”

She shut the door before Fareeha could say anything else. Her entire trek down the lengthy hallway she thought only of those warm, soft eyes, and the strange way she felt when they fixed on her.

_No. I must not let myself get distracted by such things. Hana has been suspiciously quiet – she may need me. I cannot have her thinking I am running around cavorting with my new fledgling and ignoring her needs._

She picked up Hana’s scent just outside of the room where the rescued human convert had been placed. She approached the door silently, taking in the odd mix of scents wafting from beneath the door. _What are they doing in there?_

Her knuckles rapped lightly but firmly on the door, and she waited impatiently for someone to answer her.


	5. Poison Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a mini-chapter before the much longer next one. 
> 
> I've been working on another (yet-to-be-announced) fic too, so progress on this story has been going a bit slower than usual. I don't plan on giving it up, though - I've got a lot of neat ideas for this universe.

Hana woke up to a steady knock on the door. She and Jamie were still sprawled out on the bed, buck naked. Jamison had passed out almost immediately after their encounter – he was still recovering from being so drained of energy before that. His organic arm was wrapped around Hana’s waist, and she was curled up against his lanky frame.

That hadn’t gone quite how she’d imagined that sort of thing would go – neither of them had a lick of experience, so it was more fumbling around and asking questions than anything else. But it was certainly interesting, and kind of fun.

“Hana?” It was Satya’s voice on the other side of the door. Hana stayed still and quiet, hoping Jamie would do the same. Thankfully he was thoroughly passed out. After one more series of knocks she heard Satya sigh and move on down the hallway. Hana exhaled in relief. Slipping out of bed, she grabbed her t-shirt and worn-out jeans off the floor and quietly redressed. But when she zipped up her pants, Jamie’s sensitive ears apparently picked up on it. His eyes opened, following Hana as she came and sat back down on the bed.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“S’all right.” He reached out and brushed a stray chunk of her bangs out of her face. “Sorry for, uh, knockin’ out on ya.”

“Oh, it’s fine. You’ve been through a lot.” She handed him his shorts, which had fallen behind the bed. “That was fun! I can see why humans enjoy mating.”

“Heh.” He got dressed beside her. “I’m prob’ly not the best at this kinda thing…my speciality’s always been with explosives and stealin’ shit.”

“Maybe you can show me some of those other skills sometime. Making explosions sounds fun.”

“Sure, I’d be happy to! I could teach ya _all_ about–”

Suddenly the door to Jamie’s bedroom swung open. Amélie pulled a key out of the doorknob and tucked it into her bra. Satya stepped into the room, immediately alert.

“What are you doing?” Hana hopped up off the bed and went over to her.

“You didn’t answer me. I feared for your safety.”

“So my work here is done,” Amélie said. “She isn’t dead.” With that she walked away.

Satya’s pupils were slitted, the way they looked when she was beginning to lose her composure and devolve into her true vampiric form. She looked Hana over carefully, then leaned in and gave her a sniff. “What have you been doing?”

Hana took a step backward. Satya most definitely knew the answer already. “Don’t get mad, okay?”

Satya’s glowing red eyes shifted to Jamison. Her lips peeled back into a snarl, and from between her pointed teeth flicked a thin, forked tongue.

“Oh come on,” Hana groaned, “the tongue and everything?”

Jamie was backed up against the wall, as far from Satya as he could get.

“I was just curious what it’s like.” Hana stepped between her sire and her fledgling. “It was me, okay? It was all me.”

Satya lifted a hand slowly, shifting her gaze down to it instead of Hana. Sure enough her nails had lengthened into jet black, sickle-like claws.

“She’s, uh, not gonna kill me, right?” Jamie whispered. “’Cause it looks an awful bloody lot like she is.”

“Satya, it’s no big deal. It’s not like I can get pregnant or catch any diseases. It was just for fun!”

Still Satya did not meet her eyes, but as Hana watched her claws gradually receded back to normal nails and her pupils reverted to their usual round shape.

Hana reached out and rested a hand on her arm.

“I just do not want anyone taking advantage of you,” Satya murmured.

“It’s all right. Jamie’s an okay guy, I swear. And he’s one of us now, so…”

Satya drew in a long, heavy breath. “I know, my love. And it is my place to guide you, not force you or close you off from the world. I am sorry.” She looked then to Jamie, who gritted his teeth and tried – and failed – to not look frightened. “I shall tell you what I told Fareeha – should you ever so much as dream of harming Hana in any way I will end your life myself.”

Jamie swallowed. “Y-yes, ma’am.”

“God, Satya, you’re such a helicopter mom.” Sombra had used the term the other day. Hana didn’t know exactly what it meant, but it sounded right in the situation.

“I do not know what that means, but I shall take it as a compliment.”

“Yeah…sure.” At such proximity to her sire, Hana realized there was an odd scent clinging to Satya as well. She leaned in and sniffed her, as Satya had done just a minute before.

“What?” Satya folded her arms. “Why are you smelling me?”

Hana narrowed her eyes. “You smell funny, too. Like…musky.” She gave another intent sniff. “It’s hormones! You smell all hormonal, just like me and Jamie! Well not as strong, but…”

Satya took a step away from her. “I do not. Why would I?”

“ _Hey?_ ” a voice called from down the hall. Satya immediately perked up. Not a moment later Fareeha appeared in the doorway. “Oh, there you are. I found out some more stuff about that place. I was gonna go talk to Amélie about it.”

If Satya smelled of hormones before, it doubled down when Fareeha appeared in her sight. “ _Ohhh_ ,” Hana whispered to herself. Satya had never really spoken of her preferences for a mate, or whether she had ever even wanted one at all. But in the presence of her admittedly attractive second fledgling, Satya’s scent alone spoke volumes.

“O-oh,” Satya replied, “good. Yes, let us go find Amélie again.” She cast a glance back to Hana. Hana responded with nothing but a knowing grin.

Fareeha followed where Satya was looking. “What’s going on in here, anyway? It stinks.”

“Your sense of smell is getting stronger,” Satya said. “Soon you will find yourself able to detect scents you never would have picked up as a human.”

Fareeha wrinkled her nose. “Great.”

Satya joined her at her side, staring down at Fareeha’s hands instead of her eyes. Pausing a moment, Fareeha leaned down to Satya’s level. “Hm. You smell like something, too. It’s not bad, though, Actually, uh, smells kinda nice.” She reigned herself in before she spent any longer sniffing the other woman. “Um, so let’s go, then.”

Satya beckoned for Hana to follow. Hana looked to Jamie. “You feeling up to a walk?”

“I think so.” He clambered slowly off the bed and made sure his prosthetic leg…peg…thing was securely attached. “But, uh, maybe when we’re done we can eat again?”

“Dinner date?”

“Heh. Sure.”

Hana clearly noted the displeasure on Satya’s face, but she refrained from saying anything. _Hey, she knows I’m more than old enough to be doing this sort of thing. Heck, she brought us here so we could ‘expand our horizons’. What did she expect?_

And so the four of them set off to catch up with Amélie again.

* * *

 

There were two things Satya struggled with more than virtually anything else in this world. Those two things were, one, trying to separate from Hana enough to let the girl live her own life, and, two, confronting her own feelings.

Right now she was in a vice grip of both problems.

She was attracted to Fareeha. Any doubt she may have had about that fact was wiped away when she saw the woman after taking in the overpowering scent of hormones from Hana and her male fledgling. “Jamison”, or whatever his name was. And while Hana was repulsed by the scent Satya produced, Fareeha outright admitted that to her it smelled pleasant. The two of them were clearly compatible mates, at least chemically.

That frightened Satya. She knew nothing of the world of romance.

Equally clueless, yet somehow making more headway than her sire, was Hana. _She slept with that utterly random male, just because she could._ She supposed that as far as teenage rebellion went, Hana had never been too bad. Rationally Satya knew the girl was entitled to making her own decisions and choosing whom she wished to associate with. It was just difficult for her to accept sometimes.

Okay, a lot of the time.

They found Amélie in the living room by herself. She was lounging in her red silken bathrobe by a fire that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be artificial. Her feet were propped up on a leather ottoman, still sheathed by her scarlet slippers from earlier in the night.

As Satya came around the sofa to face her she realized Amélie had a book in one hand and was concentrating her attention on it, not them. Its title was entirely in French; Satya had no idea what it said.

After apparently determining they weren’t just passing through, Amélie finally lifted her gaze to Satya. “May I help you?”

Fareeha stepped forward in her stead. “We found a bunch of info about a place in Switzerland that manufactures synthetic blood. This is the woman in charge of it.” She held her phone up for Amélie to see.

Skimming the screen for a moment, a tiny smirk crossed her face. “Ah. Dr. Ziegler. I should not be surprised she is involved in such a practice.”

“You know her?”

“I know _of_ her. She is relatively famous amongst our kind.”

“Really? Why?”

Amélie closed her book and set it down on the table beside her. “I should like to meet her. Shall we fly out to Switzerland to do so?”

“Well I can’t fly yet…” Fareeha gestured to her lack of wings.

Amélie snorted. “Who do you think I am? We would be taking a private jet.”

“Oh.” Fareeha slapped her forehead. “Every time Satya’s said it she meant–”

“So if we were to do this,” Amélie cut her off to say, “who here would like to come? Most private jets I have utilized hold six passengers.”

Satya did a quick mental headcount. If she, Hana, Amélie, Fareeha, and Jamison all agreed to go it would still only be five.

“I want to go!” Hana looked up at Satya with a pleading grin. “We’ve never been to Switzerland before.”

Satya sighed. “Very well. I suppose the two of us are in.”

“Three.” Hana pointed to Jamison. “Right?”

Jamison cracked his back. “Ehh…”

“No?”

“He is afraid of me,” Amélie said with a tiny smile.

“Well ya chained me up in yer basement and stole my blood for months. I don’t particularly _like_ ya.”

“Then stay here. It does not matter to me.”

Jamison looked to Hana. “Well…fuck. Hana’s the only one I know here. I don’t wanna stay with these creeps all by myself!”

“So you’re in?” Hana pressed.

With a sigh, he shrugged. “I _guess._ ”

“All right!”

“So that makes six,” Amélie said. Fareeha turned to her.

“What? This is only five–”

“Lena will be joining us.”

Hana grinned and nudged Satya. “Triple date.”

For the first time Satya could recall, Amélie actually frowned at that. “Do not misunderstand my intentions. I have loved only once in my life. Lena is a confidant – she will never be more than that to me.” After a pause, she added, “And also, I am straight.”

“Why didn’t you just say that at the beginning,” Fareeha murmured.

“I enjoy long, pointless monologuing. It’s kind of my thing.” She linked her fingers together and stretched her arms out in front of her. “So we should take a few days to prepare. I will procure a jet for us.”

“This is gonna be fun!” Hana nudged Satya. “We’re gonna be so cultured from all this traveling.”

That brought a small smile to Satya’s face. “We will have to pick up some matching souvenir t-shirts.”

They both got a laugh out of that.

“Of _course!_ ”


	6. Skylines and Turnstiles

This was not the airport Fareeha had landed at. She’d had barely any idea where she was then and had barely any idea where she was now. This airport was quite small, almost quaint in appearance. Only a few planes sat on the runways outside, and they were all miniature. Private jets.

Amélie sauntered up to a counter with a bored-looking clerk sitting behind it. She said something in French, then set her phone down on the counter. The clerk scanned the screen and, after waiting a moment for the machine to print them, handed her six boarding passes.

“Don’t we all have to show our IDs?” Fareeha asked as Amélie handed her her pass.

“No. Only the lead passenger. And besides, some of us do not have any identification papers.” She gestured subtly to Satya and Hana, who were paying no attention to their conversation.

Fareeha cast a glance back at her sire, who was moving slowly to keep pace with Hana and Jamison. She hadn’t realized just how uncivilized Satya and Hana were until she’d witnessed the absolute culture shock they were going through at the airport. Both had cowered in terror when a jet took off from the runway on their way inside – Satya had thrown her wings open and bared her teeth at the plane, as if she were going to intimidate it and scare it off. Hana followed her lead, extending her smaller, translucent white wings and growling. It wasn’t until Amélie said to them “Could you perhaps act a little less like a pair of wild animals?” that they had swallowed their fears and gone along with the group.

Fareeha could clearly see that the novel environment still frightened them. She thought of attempting to reassure them, but she had no idea what to say.

Jamison seemed pretty out of place as well, though Fareeha assumed he must have taken a flight at least once to get out of Australia.

“Hey,” she said to him. He perked up a bit, listening. “Are those metal limbs of yours gonna make it through security?”

Amélie paused, causing Lena to almost trip over her. “Security?” She turned around, revealing a tiny smirk. “My dear, this is a _private jet._ ”

“You…don’t need to pass security for those?” The second it was out of her mouth Fareeha realized it was a stupid question. _We’re the only ones on the plane._

Amélie apparently did not find it worthy of a response either, for she simply resumed walking at her usual brisk pace.

As they neared their terminal they passed a sign in French advertising some sort of service the airport offered, with a list of various cities in nearby countries. Fareeha would hardly have noticed it if Lena hadn’t slowed to a stop in front of it.

“Can you read French?” Fareeha asked her.

Lena shook her head. “No. Just…” Fareeha followed her gaze to where the sign read _London._ “Maybe if this whole synthetic blood thing works out I could go back home. See if Emily’d take me back.”

“I’m sure she would.”

Amélie was stopped ahead of them, watching their interaction with her typical unreadable expression. The pause in movement gave Satya, Hana and Jamison time to catch up.

“I love that I can actually keep up with you,” Hana said to Jamison. They both laughed at that. Then, to make a point, Jamison hop-limped as fast as he could toward the terminal. “Hey!” Hana rushed after him, all but dragging her less-effective leg behind her. Satya exhaled, but let them go.

It was strange seeing an airport so empty. Only a handful of humans lingered about the waiting areas by the terminals they passed. Fareeha supposed it was the combination of the small size of the airport and the fact that it was midnight, but it still felt odd.

A tired-looking human woman took their passes and guided them toward the boarding bridge. Fareeha didn’t think twice about stepping inside it until she heard Jamison say something behind her.

“Aw c’mon, it ain’t that bad.”

She turned to find Hana and Satya hanging back. Their hands were locked together in a death grip.

“Perhaps Hana and I would be better flying on our own,” Satya said.

“No way.” Fareeha joined them. “It’s not that bad, I promise. It’s actually kind of fun.”

“And we are flying in a luxury jet,” Amélie added. “We get the works.”

Hana and Satya exchanged a look. It was clear they were communicating something, and they did not seem to need words to do so.

Eventually Satya sighed. “Very well. I suppose it will be a novel experience, at the very least.”

Fareeha stayed with them as they boarded. Both women were clearly apprehensive toward the hot, cramped metal tunnel that led to the plane. Fareeha noticed they both had that disturbing reptilian-eye thing going on, their pupils slitted, their eyes an unnerving yellow and scarlet, respectively. “Don’t let the pilot see you like that,” she whispered.

“Wait, there will be humans with us?” Satya whispered back.

As soon as Amélie set foot inside the aircraft she was greeted by the pilot, an older gentleman. Before he could say anything else Amélie cornered him in the cockpit. The man’s fearful stare quickly glazed over. A chill ran down Fareeha’s spine as she recalled the feeling of that same trick when it was used on her. “You will remember nothing that transpires or is said on this flight,” Amélie whispered close to his ear. The man nodded dumbly.

With that she freed him from her control, nudging him back toward his seat.

Amélie and Lena boarded without hesitation, but Fareeha waited for the others. Hana stopped and dropped to her knees to investigate the tiny crack dividing the jet from the jet bridge. Satya was immediately on all fours beside her, sniffing it out.

“You guys.” Fareeha put her foot over the divide. “It’s a space. Not a big deal.”

“I can feel air coming through it,” Hana said.

“Crazy! It’s almost like the jet is outside and this bridge connects it to the building.”

They seemed unconvinced by her words, but continued along. On the way past Fareeha Jamison gave a shrug and a giggle and said, “Never thought I’d find a girl as nutty as me. Kinda nice!”

“Yeah. You’re made for each other.”

Once everyone else was on board Fareeha allowed herself to set foot on the plane. _Whoa._ The interior was unlike any plane she’d ever set foot on. There was an entire mini kitchen at the front, with a coffee maker, a sink, and a platter of fancy-looking little dessert cakes on the counter. Beyond that was the seating area – in lieu of the usual standardized airline seats this jet had sleek, stylish white sofas with black throw pillows tucked in their corners. In front of each of the four sofas was a fold-out table with charging stations for electronics. And unlike the typical dim, yellow-tinted airline lighting Fareeha was accustomed to, this jet was lit by bulbs that gave off a natural light, almost perfectly mimicking sunlight. The resemblance to daylight was so close that it gripped Fareeha with unexpected emotion. _This may be the closest I’ll ever get to sunlight again._

Amélie had already sprawled out on one of the sofas, her small luggage tucked underneath it. Fareeha had no luggage, nor did anyone else, so she just sat down by one of the windows.

“Holy crap, this is some luxury livin’.” Jamison flopped down on one of the sofas as well, crossing his peg leg over his organic one. “Last time _I_ was on a plane I was stowed away in cargo!” He cackled maniacally. Fareeha pursed her lips. _Okay, so that answers my question about how he left Australia…_

 Hana and Satya seemed reluctant to sit down. They looked out the windows, then performed a thorough investigation of the plane’s interior. “Why don’t you guys come sit over here?” Fareeha tapped the empty space on the sofa beside her. _They’re gonna flip out the second the plane takes off._

Hesitantly they came and sat beside Fareeha, Satya closest to her. “So the plane’s gonna take off in a minute, and I want to run through it with you guys first so you don’t freak out.”

The roar of the plane powering up sent Satya and Hana flying up off the couch like cats exposed to a vacuum cleaner. Hana cowered under the table while Satya guarded her, glancing frantically about.

“That’s the engine.” Fareeha tapped the sofa again. With great reluctance, the other two women rejoined her.

“It’s so _loud._ ” Hana was wincing. Satya nodded in agreement, her clawed hands over her ears.

With her improved sense of hearing Fareeha had to agree as well. It was almost deafeningly loud to vampiric ears.

“Ahem.”

Fareeha looked up to find Amélie standing over her, a small, clear bag in hand. The bag, she realized, was full of individually-wrapped packets of earplugs. “Oh, uh, thanks.” She reached in and grabbed three packets.

“What are these?” Hana asked as she nonetheless tore the package open and immediately started examining them.

“Earplugs.” Fareeha demonstrated by putting them in her own ears. Thankfully they were just enough to soften the ear-splitting roar of the jet engine.

Hana and Satya exchanged a glance, then tried them out. “Ah, that is wonderful!” Satya sighed contentedly. “I had no idea such inventions existed.”

“Yeah, turns out humans are actually good for something besides being food. Who knew?”

The pilot made the typical pre-takeoff announcement of the current weather conditions and the estimated flight time – 45 minutes. Easily the shortest flight Fareeha had ever been on. It almost seemed pointless, but then again so did everything about a luxury flight.

The plane started to drive down the runway. Hana and Satya immediately tensed, clinging tight to one another. “D-do not be afraid,” Satya whispered to her charge. “I am sure we will be all right.”

“You’re not sure. If you were sure you wouldn’t be just as scared as I am.”

“Well, hey,” Fareeha reached over and attempted to console Hana with an awkward pat on the shoulder. “ _I’m_ not scared. Follow my example. Or hell, follow Amélie’s.” She gestured to the old vampiress, who was lounging with her feet on the table reading a French magazine.

“Hmph.” Hana sat up a little and looked to Jamison, who had grabbed the plate of cakes. “Are _you_ scared?”

He popped one of the cakes into his mouth. “Nah,” he said through his mouthful. “This is _much_ better than cargo!”

“Why are you eating human food?” Satya asked him.

“Still tastes good, mate.” He was on his second cake by the end of the sentence.

“Um, Jamie…not a good idea.” Hana reached out and took the plate from him, much to his dismay. “We can’t digest human food. It just sits and rots in there.”

“You kiddin’ me?? No more–”

The plane picked up speed, interrupting their conversation with the noise of the wheels racing along pavement.

Fareeha took the platter from Hana and set it on the table, knowing full well it was most likely going to spill everywhere the minute they left the ground. “Okay, this is important – any second now we’re gonna lift off the ground. It’s gonna be a little bumpy, and you’re gonna be scared, but it’ll be okay. Once we’re up in the air it’s a _lot_ less frightening.”

She noticed Satya was looking at her. Shrugging, she added, “Just trying to help.”

“No, I appreciate it. Your concern for Hana is…rather appealing.”

At that Fareeha hesitated. “…Appealing…?”

With a _bump_ the jet finally left the ground. Hana and Satya both pressed themselves against adjacent windows, watching the plane ascend with incredible speed.

With her back to Fareeha, Fareeha was able to take a good, long look at Satya. She wasn’t human, never had been, and yet in terms of emotion she behaved so humanly – not like a monster or demon. No creature who cared so much for another, a girl who wasn’t even her own flesh and blood, could be that bad.

And for a woman who had spent most of her life in the wild, she was oddly attractive. Fareeha’d had some odd crushes in the past, but a centuries-old creature of the night that feasted on mortals for sustenance was definitely a new low.

Suddenly Hana and Satya both turned around to stare at her. “What?” Fareeha folded her arms, pretending she had been looking out the window as well.

Hana snickered. Satya cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact.

“What? Why’d you both turn and look at me?”

“Erm, Fareeha, dear…” Satya rested a hand on Fareeha’s forearm. “I am not sure how much you are aware of this, but we are quite adept at picking up…slight scent changes. And humans – as well as vampires – secrete a multitude of pheromones consciously undetectable to other humans.”

Fareeha blinked slowly. “What are you getting at…?” It was pointless to ask – she already knew.

Giving Fareeha’s hand a light pat with her own, she whispered, “The next time we are alone together I think we should have a talk.”

If her heart still beat it would have been racing. “O-okay. A talk. Sure. Anytime.”

To her surprise, Satya showed her a tiny smile.

“God, you guys _stink_.” Hana shot up off the couch. “I’m going to sit with Jamie.”

“Oh yeah, ‘cause you two smelled _great_ when I walked in that room after you were ‘finished’.” Fareeha hoped Hana would take it as good-natured teasing. Fortunately the girl broke out into a grin.

“Hey, some of that was Satya. She gets awfully worked up whenever you’re around.”

“Hana–!”

Hana cackled as she flung herself down onto the couch beside Jamison. Her absence left zero buffering room between Satya and Fareeha. Fareeha realized she could smell that same faint, musky-with-a-hint-of-spice scent from before. It was mildly intoxicating. She shook her head, trying to get a hold of her thoughts. Satya remained shyly withdrawn, but Fareeha noticed her lips were still curled slightly upward at their edges.

Not wanting to push the issue any further, Fareeha looked around the plane instead. Amélie was still reading. Lena was seated at the far end of the same sofa, gazing out the window. Jamison and Hana were huddled together, talking quietly amongst themselves.

“Hey, Lena,” Fareeha called out. Lena looked over at her. “Mind if I come over there?”

“Not at all.” She patted the seat beside her. Fareeha got up and moved to sit on her sofa.

Lena didn’t have the same smell as Satya. She had an individual scent, but it didn’t wrap around Fareeha’s senses the way Satya’s did. It was just like Hana’s or Amélie’s.

“What’s Emily like?” she decided to ask.

Lena’s jaw tensed. From out the corner of her eye Fareeha noticed Amélie glance up from her magazine.

Lena got a faraway look in her eyes. “She was – she’s…amazin’. Sweet, funny, a lil’ pushy, but in a cute way. She was never afraid to chew anyone out, but somehow ya could always tell she was doin’ it ‘cause she cared. When we first moved into the flat together…”

“Oh, you two lived together?”

Lena nodded. “I was plannin’ on surprisin’ her for our three-year anniversary. I had a ring for ‘er. I wonder if she ever found it…”

“You were gonna marry her?”

Lena’s shoulders drooped. Amélie was still watching them, her magazine now discarded. Fareeha then realized that everyone else was looking at them, too.

“Shit, Lena, you’ve got to get back to her.” Fareeha clenched a fist, causing Lena to raise her eyebrows. “This is just ridiculous – you were clearly crazy about her.”

“I can’t, Fareeha. I can’t see her again…not like this…”

Amélie picked her magazine back up. “Marriage is overrated, anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re only sayin’ that because nobody’d wanna marry a shrew like you.”

Amélie’s mask of apathy seemed to slip for just a moment. She quickly reaffixed her neutral expression, but not before saying “I have been married before.”

“Wait, you have?” Fareeha was surprised to hear that. Amélie didn’t exactly seem like the type for love and marriage.

Lena was just staring at her. “News to me. Who’d wanna marry _you?_ ”

Amélie sighed, rolling her joints in their sockets. “This is why I never bring it up…so nosy, all of you.”

“I’m just kinda curious,” Fareeha replied. “I mean, none of us here are married–”

“Yet.” Hana leaned on Jamison’s shoulder. Her eyes were on Satya.

“ _Absolutely_ not,” Satya spat. Hana’s devilish grin was indicative that she’d moreso been seeking a reaction from her sire than actually speaking in seriousness. Jamison seemed to get a kick out of it, too.

“Aw come on, ya don’t want _me_ for your dear ol’ son-in-law?”

“I would sooner eviscerate you with my own claws.”

“Better to marry another vampire at least,” Amélie said. “My husband was human.”

“You did not convert him?” Satya asked.

Amélie gave one single, largely humorless laugh. “There was not much left of him to convert.”

“The heck does that mean?” Lena fixed her with a look of confusion and mild horror.

“So many questions…” Amélie set the magazine down on her lap. “Is it not obvious enough by that answer that I killed him?”

The group went quiet at that. Everyone was just staring at Amélie. Amélie was avoiding eye contact with anyone.

“Was it…” Fareeha was the first to speak, drawing everybody’s attention. “Was it that ‘blood frenzy’ thing you told me about?”

Amélie nodded. “I was abducted by a small group of vampires who fed from me and then released me. I returned to my home, to my dear husband…and in the night, I woke up _starving._ ”

 _That’s just what happened with me and Mother._ “So you killed him in a blood frenzy.”

“I came to my senses after some time, on all fours on our bed…feeding from his open throat.”

“That’s horrible,” Hana whispered.

Amélie shrugged. “It was just the way things happened. The funny part is that he had been doting on me so much before we fell asleep. I was restless, and he took me in his arms and held me until I was able to sleep. He had no idea he was in bed with a monster.”

“Jesus...” Lena shook her head. “So that was, what, a thousand years ago?”

“Just about.”

“And you’ve never loved anyone since?”

Amélie's golden eyes reflected the lighting around her, making it difficult to interpret how she was looking at anyone around her. “I believe that Gérard is still here. He finds me time and again. Always the same sort of personality – such a pesky optimist. Always wanting to be the hero. He has not changed in a thousand years.”

“…What the heck are you talkin’ about?”

Amélie smiled. “Ah. Nothing.”

“I’m not your dead husband, if that’s what you’re workin’ at.” Lena’s scowl was directly proportionate to Amélie’s smile.

“Perhaps not. But I find he seems to take many female forms. Perhaps so we will not meet again in a romantic sense. It did not exactly end well for us when we did.”

Lena huffed. “Lady, you’re nuts.”

Reincarnation wasn’t a belief Fareeha subscribed to, but she found herself intrigued. Amélie was a millennium old – did she know something most mortals didn’t? Could she really identify her late husband’s soul in different forms? Maybe it just helped her feel better to think that way.

At that point Amélie retrieved her phone from her purse and started texting someone. “Aren’t you not supposed to use your phone on a plane?” Fareeha asked. Amélie waved a dismissive hand and kept texting.

She probably shouldn’t have brought Emily up. Lena’s mood was visibly soured after her mention. “Well, Lena,” Fareeha said, “if it, uh, makes you feel any better, I’m thirty-two and never had a successful long-term relationship. Couple of flings, but…” Lena was just looking at her, seemingly unmoved. “I guess I’m just trying to say, uh, I don’t know. You should be happy you had someone like her at all?” The second the words were out of her mouth she realized how awful they sounded. “I don’t mean it like–”

Lena sighed.

The rest of the flight proceeded in awkward silence. At one point Satya said “So do you think Gabriel will be able to handle everything at the house?”

Amélie nodded. “He is much harsher than I am. And he is under very strict orders.”

“Orders for what?”

“For things I want him to do.” Amélie crossed her legs and arms, effectively closing herself off for further questioning. “Don’t worry about it.” She glanced out into the pitch-darkness of the sky outside their windows. “We will be arriving soon.”

* * *

 

Human flight was a terrifying, and yet oddly fascinating experience. To make up for their lack of wings they built massive metal beasts with wings to carry them. Hana seemed intrigued by it as well. For much of the flight she sat gazing silently out the window, her wings fanned out behind her.

It was a bit of a relief having Hana’s safety in someone else’s hands while flying for once. Satya was able to actually focus on other things – like their companions. She still wasn’t certain how much she trusted any of them, though they at least did not seem like immediate threats. Lena and Fareeha were too soft to be dangerous to anyone but themselves. Jamison seemed content enough with his second lease on life. Amélie was a bit of an enigma, but Satya got the feeling she couldn’t muster up enough care to hurt them if she wanted to.

The flight ended so suddenly. The pilot made a brief announcement, and then they were on the ground, wheels racing along the runway of the much-larger Swiss airport.

“Oh, wow.” Fareeha gazed out the window. “This place is _massive._ ”

Hana was at the window beside her. “What does ‘Flughafen’ mean?”

“No idea.”

“Listen to me, all of you.” Amélie picked up her luggage and then sauntered over to them. “This airport is one of the largest in the world. Stay with me at all times. I will not be asking security to make announcements for you like lost children.”

Hana looked to Satya. They reached out to one another and joined hands. Jamison sidled up next to Hana. Fareeha hung back a bit, her hands shoved in the pockets of her jeans. They all waited for Amélie, trailed by Lena, to disembark the plane.

* * *

 

This airport was nothing like the one in France – it was easily the biggest gathering of humans Satya had ever seen. She had no idea so many humans would be awake at this time of night. The building they milled about was some sort of massive glass structure illuminated by hundreds of tiny lights, a giant neon sign reading **FLUGHAFEN-Z** **ÜRICH** hanging from the high ceiling.

The combination of bright lights, ear-piercing noises and unfamiliar smells took an immediate toll on Satya. So many humans clustered together at once assailed her senses with their smell – she could hardly even pick her companions’ scents out of the crowd, it was so overpowering. She tried to control herself and maintain her composure so as not to concern Hana, but it was extremely difficult. Barely able to hear or smell them, she was having a hard time staying connected to her companions. The only thing keeping her tethered to the moment was Hana’s clawed hand gripping hers.

Everyone else seemed all right. Even Hana seemed more intrigued and curious than scared or overwhelmed. Nobody else seemed to be dissociating from their surroundings like she was. _Perhaps there is something wrong with me…_

“You okay, Satya?” Hana’s voice pierced her swarm of scattered thoughts. She realized then that she had increased her pace, practically dragging her fledgling along.

She slowed down to let Hana move at her own pace. “Er, I am fine, dear Hana. I apologize for pulling you.”

“You’re panicking,” she said. The look in the girl’s eyes was one of utmost concern. Satya knew she couldn’t fib her way out of this one.

“I am…having a bit of trouble taking all of this in.” Everything was so loud, echoing off the arched ceilings and high walls of the massive building. There were announcements being made and planes landing and taking off, constant droning in the back of her mind. The humans were all talking at an unpleasantly loud volume in order to hear one another. Somewhere a child was screaming. There was a horrendous, constant bumping sound from all around as humans wheeled their luggage across the tiled floor.

Even with the earplugs it was too much. Satya slowed to a stop. Her hands moved to cover her ears.

“Are you okay?” Fareeha stopped and looked her over with visible concern as well. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she gets like this sometimes.” Hana linked arms with Satya, allowing her to keep her hands on her ears while still being connected to her fledgling. “Come on, we’ll go fast so we’re out of here quick.”

“If you run off and get lost I am not responsible for what happens,” Amélie warned.

“We won’t get lost.” Hana pulled Satya along, trying her best to work around her limp. With a sigh Amélie slightly increased her pace to keep up with them.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached a set of sliding glass doors that led them outside. Satya took a deep, full breath of the crisp night air and slowly lowered her hands from her ears.

Hana was smiling encouragingly at her.

“…Thank you, my dear.”

“No problem! I knew we’d make it.” Hana began surveying their surroundings, paying special attention to all the traffic coming and going. “Hm. I wonder if there’s a nice dark parking garage nearby we could sleep in!”

Amélie scoffed. Without even gracing Hana with a response she held a hand out toward the oncoming traffic.

Moments later a sleek silver car pulled up next to her. The driver, a young human male, rolled down the window and held up his phone screen. “Amélie Guillard?”

Amélie nodded, then pulled open the back door. “Two of you come with me,” she said. “The other two will ride with Lena in the second car.”

Satya then noticed a black car pulling over behind the first.

“Satya and Fareeha can go with you.” Hana pushed Satya forward a step. “Me and Jamie will go with Lena.”

“Hana, are you–” Satya cast a shy glance over at Fareeha, who was looking at her as well. They both quickly averted their eyes. “…Are you certain?”

“ _Just do it,_ ” Hana whispered. When no one else was looking she gave Satya a sly wink.

Satya exhaled. “Very well. Fareeha, is that all right with–”

Fareeha was already getting in the car.

“…I suppose that is a yes, then.” Turning back to Hana, Satya leaned down and planted a light kiss on Hana’s forehead. “Be safe, my love. I will see you soon.”

“See ya!” She hopped in the car with Lena and Jamison, leaving Satya to sigh and climb into the seat next to Fareeha.


	7. Like You Loved the Sun

Amélie had apparently reserved an entire wing of the luxury hotel they were staying at. There were more than enough rooms for everybody to have their own, but it was incredibly obvious that Satya and Hana were planning to share a room. The moment they had reunited in the hotel parking lot they’d joined hands, and hadn’t been separated since.

It was honestly a good thing Amélie had reserved the entire floor, because anyone coming or going down the hall would have had to pass by a grown woman and a teenage girl crawling on all fours, sniffing the carpeting all the way to their room.

_I can’t believe I’m attracted to her._ Fareeha watched Satya investigate the door, then open it with great caution, as if anticipating attackers on the other side. She and Hana then crept inside the incredibly spacious room. On a whim, Fareeha decided to follow them inside.

The room was solid wood interior – the floor was a shining mahogany without a single scratch or chip to be found, and the walls matched it, ornately carved around a massive windowsill on the far wall. A clear glass table sat in front of a sofa in one corner of the room, and had a bottle of wine and two sparkling clean wine glasses sitting atop it. The lighting was low and atmospheric, and there was a sizable holovid on the far wall across from the bed, though Fareeha suspected it would see no use during their stay.

“Wow, this place is beautiful.” Hana pulled back the curtains and gazed into the night. “Humans really live fancy, huh?”

“Apparently so.” Satya checked under the bed’s comforter, and then under the bed itself. As she stood back up her gaze settled on Fareeha. “Oh, hello.”

“Hi.”

“Did you want me to inspect your room as well?” Despite being shorter than Fareeha Satya somehow managed to seem like a larger-than-life force to be reckoned with as she stood tall, ready to take on any hypothetical monsters lurking in Fareeha’s room.

Fareeha smirked. “What are you, my mother?” Well not _her_ mother specifically. Her mother would probably just go in there with a gun.

“No, but I am your sire. And I promised to look after you if ever you needed or wanted me to.”

“Hey,” Hana piped up, drawing the attention of both women, “Fareeha should room with us tonight!”

“I couldn’t,” Fareeha said a little too quickly. “I mean, I wouldn’t have anywhere to sleep.”

“This bed is huge. There’d definitely be enough room for you! Or…” A sly little grin formed on her lips. “I could sleep in another room, and you two could stay together.”

Satya turned to her with visible fluster in her cheeks. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered, although Fareeha was still able to hear her. “First the cars, and now…”

“I don’t want you to miss out on your own life by taking care of me all the time.” Hana reached out and pushed her sire forward a step. “I’ll be right across the hall. It’ll be fine!”

Satya narrowed her eyes. “Is this really for my benefit? Or will you be off cavorting with Jamison?”

Hana shrugged.

“You know, it’s fine,” Fareeha interjected. “I’ll sleep in my own room. I’ve been meaning to call my mother anyway, and…”

“Yes. Of course.” Satya nodded eagerly. “You should do that.”

Hana sighed and shook her head.

Before stepping all the way out of the room, Fareeha paused to glance at Satya one more time. “But, uh…”

Satya looked up at her. “Hm?”

Massaging the back of her neck, Fareeha said, “You want to…come check my room out with me?”

“Of course. As I said, you are in my protection.” She nodded to Hana. “I will be right back, then.”

“Mhm.” Hana was still wearing a mischievous little smile. “Take your time.”

With that Fareeha led Satya out into the hallway, toward the room she had selected.

* * *

 

“I do not see anything.” Satya peered under the bed. It was spotlessly clean underneath, smelling only faintly of dust.

Fareeha took her jacket off and hung it in the closet. “So the only monsters in here are the two of us.”

Satya straightened up. “You are not a monster, Fareeha. None of us are.”

Fareeha stuck her hands in her pockets and shrugged. Then she drifted over toward the window and gazed out at the streets below. Even as high up as they were, Satya could faintly hear the traffic below.

After standing idle a moment, Fareeha reached behind herself and cracked her back. As she did so Satya noticed something move near her shoulder blades. “Oh, Fareeha!”

Fareeha turned around. “Huh?”

“I think – I think your wings may be growing in!”

“Really?” Fareeha reached up under her shirt and felt around. “Hey, I think you’re right–I feel something!”

“May I…take a look?”

With a bit more hesitation than last time, Fareeha shyly removed her shirt and exposed her back to Satya. It was true – where there had been nubs before, there were now two small, pale brown wings. They were mottled in color, reminding Satya more of a bird’s wings than of mammalian ones. And though they were, at the moment, laughably tiny – the size of an actual bat’s wings at best – they appeared healthy, and did not look to be malformed in any way.

They were, quite honestly, kind of adorable.

“You do in fact have wings now,” Satya declared. “They are quite small at the moment, but they will grow. Can you open them?”

“How do I…?” Fareeha strained to look at her own back. “I don’t know how to do that. I’ve never had to learn how to make my other limbs move. They’ve always just…moved.”

“Er, perhaps try focusing on your shoulder area? Perhaps tense the muscles a bit, get a feel for that area of your…”

Fareeha’s back muscles tightened, rippling just beneath the surface. Satya’s words trailed off as she stared, barely noticing the twitches of the tiny wings.

“Did they move?”

“…Huh?”

“My wings, did they move?”

“Oh, er – I think so? Try again.”

This time they shot out roughly and abruptly. “Oh, they are spread out now! But you should not always open them so harshly. That will eventually make them sore.”

“But they’re open?” Fareeha reached around and felt them. “Damn. I can’t believe this.”

“Are you excited?”

Fareeha spun around. The, uh, second thing Satya noticed was her big, dorky smile. “Yes! This is so cool!”

Satya kept her eyes averted, tittering nervously. Confusion crossed Fareeha’s face for a split second – then her arms snapped up to cover her chest.

“By the way, I’ll, uh, still be able to wear a bra with these things, right?”

Satya mulled it over. “Hm. I do not really know. Neither Hana nor myself wear them.”

“You don’t wear bras??”

“Is there a need to? We are not particularly…well-endowed.”

Fareeha’s eyes slipped downward, but she quickly caught herself and resumed eye contact. “Um, I guess not.” Scratching her head, she murmured, “I wonder if the other vampiresses wear them…I’ll have to ask Lena. Though she doesn’t have much to cover, either…actually come to think of it neither does Amélie…shit, am I the only one here who actually has boobs??”

“If it is any consolation,” Satya murmured, “they are quite…nice.”

Fareeha lowered her hands and stared dumbly at her. Avoiding her stare, Satya shrugged.

The scent of Fareeha’s pheromones, now unhindered by clothing, was driving her to say things she wouldn’t normally even dream of speaking aloud. Folding her arms shyly, she turned away.

Fareeha did not make a move to put her shirt back on. Instead she simply cleared her throat and wandered over to the room’s massive bed.

“So, uh…” She laid the old t-shirt out on the nightstand by the bed. “What did you want to talk about?”

At that Satya turned. “Hm?’

“On the plane you said we should have a talk the next time we’re alone.” She raised her arms, encompassing the otherwise-empty room. “We’re alone.”

“Oh…that…” She sat down at the far end of the bed, away from Fareeha. Still their proximity was such that Fareeha’s scent was driving her absolutely mad. Thoughts quite unusual to Satya crept through her mind, and it took every ounce of her impulse control not to pounce on her frustratingly-naked companion.

“Are you okay?”

Satya withdrew her long, forked tongue, which had slipped out to taste the thick, hormone-laden air. “M-my apologies, I…” Finally making eye contact at last, Satya realized Fareeha’s pupils were long and slitted, the normal brown of her irises shifted to a radiant gold. “Oh, Fareeha – your eyes! They’ve changed!”

“…They have?”

“Yes, and they’re golden. How lovely!”

“Heh, yeah, freaky lizard-people eyes are just beautiful.” As she spoke Satya took notice of her fangs. They’d grown longer, and sharper.

“Well,” Satya leaned in a bit, showing her a smug little smile, “you _are_ talking to someone with no knowledge of, nor interest in, human standards of beauty.”

Fareeha drew back a little, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear. “So what you’re saying is that you have no standards.” She was smiling as well. Satya deduced that her words were spoken in jest.

Without anything covering her throat, Fareeha’s bite scar, the two bold remnant markings from Satya’s own teeth, was impossible to ignore. Satya’s hand drifted outward, and her fingers settled on the still-scarring wound.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Fareeha’s eyes followed Satya’s fingers. “Yeah, well…it’s done. This is my life now. I’m starting to come to terms with it, at least a little bit.”

“What about your conflicting religious beliefs?”

Fareeha shrugged, exhaling. “I’m trying to believe that if we can get this synthetic blood thing to happen, maybe I’ll be forgiven or something. Probably not, but…”

“You are a good person with a kind heart. I think there will be a reward for you at the end of your time here.”

Fareeha studied her face unsurely. “You think so?”

Satya nodded. “And in fact, I think there may be nice things awaiting you in life as well. Perhaps sooner than you would expect…”

Fareeha chuckled. “Oh yeah? Like wh–”

With all the grace she could muster – which was very little in this instance – Satya leaned in and placed her lips against Fareeha’s.

Fareeha’s body stiffened, but she did not pull away.

As soon as they made contact Satya immediately started panicking. _How long are kisses supposed to last? Am I supposed to stick my tongue in her mouth or something?_

Deciding to keep it simple, Satya drew back after a short few seconds. Fareeha stared at her, mouth slightly agape. Satya was unable to determine the nature of her fledgling’s expression.

“I – I am sorry. Did you not desire that?”

Fareeha hesitated. “No, I – that was…nice. Thanks.”

They both stared downward at the bedspread.

“I should probably go,” Satya said.

Fareeha cleared her throat. “You don’t – you can stay if you want.”

Satya shifted her weight on the bed. “I do not want to impose.”

Fareeha’s softly-glowing eyes studied hers. With one slightly-shaking hand she reached out and grasped the side of Satya’s face. She brought her in toward her own face, and then planted a sloppy, awkward kiss of her own on Satya’s lips. The act, combined with Fareeha’s scent and taste, shattered the remainder of Satya’s composure. She grabbed Fareeha’s face with both clawed hands and deepened the kiss, her long, slender tongue flicking curiously between Fareeha’s lips.

At one point she brushed the tip of one of Fareeha’s extended fangs. Fareeha growled low in her throat. A moment later her own tongue was exploring Satya’s, and Satya could feel that it had thinned out and forked at the tip as well.

In her true, feral form Satya lost most of the fine control over her vocal chords to produce human speech – but she didn’t seem to need it. When they separated from their kiss Satya drew back and took in the sight of Fareeha’s blossoming vampire form. Her eyes were glowing bright now, and her fangs poked out from beneath her upper lip. She was nowhere near as monstrous in appearance as Satya could and would become the more she let herself slip – but that made perfect sense. Fareeha was a human developing a vampiric side. Satya had been born with claws and fangs and wings and tiny horns that curved backward from her temples, which she could currently feel starting to grow out of her scalp. Humanity did not come naturally to her – she had had to learn it.

“Y-you…” Fareeha pointed to the side of Satya’s head, where Satya knew her horns must have sprouted.

Satya could only nod.

With a note of hesitation, Fareeha reached up and trailed her fingers along the hard surface of the old horns. Satya made a noise almost akin to a purr.

“Why do you…look like that?” Fareeha’s voice was a bit gruffer than usual, but her speech was otherwise unimpeded. The rough tone of her voice reverberated in Satya’s hypersensitive ears. She ran her tongue over her teeth, carnal thoughts overtaking any rationality she was attempting to cling to.

In lieu of an answer, Satya grabbed Fareeha by the band of her sports bra and pulled her in close. “Whoa, uh…” Fareeha allowed herself to be drawn into Satya’s grasp, a nervous smile on her face. “I think I might like this vampire form of yours.”

Satya had next to no experience with bras even in her human form – in her vampiric form it was nothing but an irritating obstacle. With one swipe of her claws she shredded it clean down the middle, then tossed the shredded halves to the floor.

Fareeha stared down at her exposed chest. “That was the only bra I brought with me.”

Satya sank her teeth into Fareeha’s jeans and started ripping at the material. “Whoa, hey!” Fareeha pushed her off. “I can take them off myself. But are we really doing this…?”

Satya hesitated. _I need to get in control of myself. I don’t want to chance hurting her._

With her inhuman strength it wasn’t difficult for Satya to push Fareeha down onto the bed and kneel over her. Despite Fareeha’s uncertain words her eyes were dilated and her sweat was dripping with sex hormones. Satya leaned down and gave her another gentle kiss. Fareeha reciprocated, the two of them finding a nice, slow rhythm. Satya had no idea if she was kissing well, but it felt nice.

“Do you really want to have sex?” Fareeha drew away to ask. “I can’t tell if you’re aware of what’s going on right now…”

The words Satya attempted to speak came out as nothing but growls and gurgles. She tried to resume kissing Fareeha, but Fareeha held her away.

“Okay, Satya, I…” Fareeha exhaled, long and slow. “I’d like to do that, too. I’ll admit that. But I think we need to wait ‘til you’ve cooled off a little. For both of our sakes.”

Satya snarled. At first Fareeha looked a bit intimidated, but her determination ultimately won out. “C’mon,” she whispered, pulling Satya into a tight embrace, “let’s sleep on it. At least for a little while.”

Satya hissed and attempted to worm out of Fareeha’s arms, but Fareeha kept her tightly in place. “Shh.” She drew Satya to her cold, bare chest. “No hissing. Let’s just take it slow, okay?”

_She is…mothering me?_ Satya looked up at her. Fareeha’s face was warm and gentle. She did not seem upset by Satya’s aggressive behavior.

Satya pushed her face into Fareeha’s chest. Her skin was so soft and supple. Fareeha’s fingers combed slowly through Satya’s hair, oddly calming in their gentleness. Though other thoughts – mainly concerns about Hana – intruded upon her peaceful state, Satya closed her eyes and let her body lie still enough to bring sleep upon it. Wrapped in Fareeha’s delightful scent and held in her reassuring arms, Satya actually found sleep easier to come by than usual. The last thing she picked up on before drifting off was Fareeha’s soft breaths on the top of her head, a constant reminder that for once _she_ was the smaller one, the one being watched over. Not since her parents were alive had she felt so…cared for.

* * *

 

Satya did not usually dream, but several times during this particular slumber she found herself in a strange state of uncertain wakefulness – she thought Fareeha was waking her up at one point, but nothing came of that. Then she believed herself to be naked and pressed up against Fareeha’s bare skin as well. At one point she thought she heard Hana calling for her, but that too faded into oblivion as the semi-dream dissipated.

One thing that certainly wasn’t a dream was the searing pain that cut through her body sometime in the middle of her sleep. Instinctively she tunneled under the covers. When she opened her eyes she realized that the sun was beginning to shine through the curtains they had forgotten to draw tightly enough.

Fareeha stirred at her movement. She was just out of range of the sunbeam. “Huh?” Her hand reached up to rub the sleep from one eye. “You okay?”

“The sun,” Satya groaned, still curled up beneath the blankets.

Fareeha immediately caught on. “I can probably get that.” She crawled across the bed and reached carefully out toward the window. Cautious not to come into contact with the sunlight, she pushed the curtains firmly together, blocking out every last bit of light.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” Fareeha slipped back under the covers. “So you’re back to using your words, huh?”

“I…apologize for that. I don’t quite know what came over me.”

Fareeha laid back on the pillow and folded her arms behind her head. “Honestly?” A slow smile spread across her face. “It was kind of hot.”

That drew Satya out from beneath the covers. “Oh?”

“I mean, you ruined my bra, but hell, I’ve never had a woman shred my clothes off before. Kinda felt like I was in one of those cheesy romance novels. …Not that I would know anything about those.”

Apparently sometime in the night Fareeha had put her shirt back on, but without a bra her breasts were clearly outlined beneath the fabric. Satya had to remind herself not to stare at them.

“So,” Fareeha continued, “did you actually want to…do something?”

“Now?”

Fareeha shrugged. “It’s sunrise. Everyone else is probably just going to sleep.”

Satya pushed a messy lock of hair out of her face. “Hm. Let me check on Hana first?”

“Yeah, of course.”

It felt strange waking up with someone other than Hana beside her. She couldn’t possibly focus on Fareeha without ensuring she was all right first.

She slipped out of the bed. Before opening the door she turned and cast one last glance at Fareeha. Fareeha nodded at her. Satya gave her a small finger wave, and then continued out to the hallway.

Hana’s room was locked, but Satya had one of the odd cards that apparently unlocked it. She slid it into the lock. The door popped open. Immediately Hana and Jamison, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed chattering away to one another, went quiet and looked over at the door. “Oh, hello there,” Satya said, giving them a little wave. “I just wanted to check on you.”

“We’re fine. We were just talking about all the places we’ve been. Australia sounds crazy!” Hana looked Satya up and down briefly. “What have you been up to?”

“Oh.” Satya fidgeted. “Er…”

Hana’s eyes widened. “Ooh, what’s that pause for??”

“Well it did not…go quite the way I had hoped…”

Hana’s visible excitement faded. “Oh.”

“We can discuss it later, if you wish.”

“Sure!”

Satya looked the two of them over once again. “So have you two slept, or…?”

“Not yet. It’s barely sunrise!”

“…Right.” Satya had already had a good half-day’s worth of sleep. She nearly forgot it was just time for the rest of the vampires to be retiring to bed.

Hana and Jamison resumed their conversation, leaving Satya to inch back out of the room and return to Fareeha.

* * *

 

Satya was just about to open the door to Fareeha’s room when she heard Fareeha’s voice through the door.

_It’s beautiful here. Wish I could see it in the daytime, but…_

A tiny voice said something, but Satya could not quite make it out.

_“No, they’re…they’re all right, actually. We’re getting along, all things considered. …I know. It’s not like I’m enjoying this new ‘lifestyle’. I’m just trying to make the best of it.”_

_She must be communicating with her mother._ Satya hung back, not wanting to interrupt.

_“Oh, and guess what?”_ She could hear a smile in Fareeha’s voice. “ _Next time you see me I’m gonna be plus two limbs. …I’m growing wings! …I know, it’s crazy.”_ There was a long pause on Fareeha’s end. “ _…No. Amélie keeps a store of it at the mansion. And we’re hoping we can find some synthetic blood that’ll work just as well. …I know. But I mean, I was pretty much forced to do it. There’s gotta be some sort of moral grey area for that, right?”_ Another pause, then Fareeha actually chuckled a little. “ _Yeah. I figured you would say that.”_

Satya leaned idly against the wall. _Must be nice to have a parent to confer with._ Her chest stung as she thought, for the thousandth time, of how different her life would be if she still had her parents. Would they be proud of her? Would they approve of how she had raised Hana? _If only they could have met her._

The door crept open, startling her out of her thoughts. “I _thought_ I heard someone outside the door,” Fareeha murmured. Then, with a slight smirk, she asked, “Spying on me?”

“Were you talking with your mother?”

“Yeah.”

“It is nice that you are keeping in touch with her.”

“Eh. She’s a pain in the butt, but she’s still my mother.”

“You are fortunate to have her.”

“Psh, yeah, she’s…” Fareeha trailed off, her expression growing somber. “Sorry. I forgot about…that.”

“It’s all right.”

They stared at one another in awkward silence for several long seconds. Then Fareeha took a step back inside and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “Well I was just gonna shower…pretty sure I’m not getting back to sleep. Want to come in?”

Satya blinked. “Into…the shower?”

Fareeha’s eyes went wide. “No, no! I meant into the room!”

“Oh!” Satya covered her mouth with one hand. “I…I thought…erm, yes, I would like to join you in your room.”

Neither of them looked at each other as Fareeha let Satya in. “So you can just…” Fareeha gestured vaguely to the bed. “I’ll be in the bathroom.”

Satya sprawled out on the bed. She watched the door to the bathroom close, then heard the shower water turn on.

Though she’d never admit it, Satya had no idea how a shower worked. She’d seen one at the mansion, but she hadn’t asked anyone how to operate it or what its exact purpose was. Did humans use it in place of bathing? She and Hana had been washing themselves off in the river since they’d arrived in France. Before that they’d used whatever they could find – lakes, rainwater, deep enough puddles – hell, when Hana was a child there had been times Satya had simply cleaned the dirt off the girl’s face with her own saliva.

She had to admit, though, the sound of the shower water was oddly soothing, like concentrated rain. It also dampened the air – she could taste the humidity as steam coiled up from the crack beneath the bathroom door. It reminded her of the monsoon season back home, when she would sleep in high tree branches and fall asleep to rain splattering on the leaves above her every morning.

Closing her eyes, Satya leaned back and rested her head on the lush pillow that smelled of Fareeha. _My parents may not be with me anymore, but I think my life is better than it was then._ At the very least she had the unconditional love of a girl who brought more warmth to her life than the insipid sun ever could, and the companionship of a woman who seemed genuine and trustworthy.

The soft splashing of the water in the next room very nearly lulled her back to sleep. She was just burying her face into the pillow when something pricked her ears.

“ _Where do we go, where do we go now? Where do we go?_ ”

Satya lifted her chin from the pillow. _Hm?_

“ _Oh whoa whoa, where do we go?_ ”

Satya giggled to herself. _She is…singing?_

“ _Oh, oh, oh, oh, sweet child of miiiine, ooh, yeah, yeah~ ooooh, sweet love of miiine~_ ”

Satya rearranged herself on the bed so that her head was rested on the end closest to the bathroom. She closed her eyes, but her smile remained.

“ _Sweet chiiiiiiii-iiiiiiild of miiiiiiine, yeahhhh!_ ”

_My goodness._ Satya folded her arms under her chin, lying sprawled on her stomach to hear Fareeha as best she could. _How adorable._

She remained in that position, listening to Fareeha work through an entire medley of songs Satya had never heard before. As she listened her thoughts drifted to earlier in the evening, when Fareeha had held her and helped her regain control of herself, seemingly without fear. She was not used to being looked out for like that. It was…sweet.

The shower water stopped. Fareeha continued humming to herself. A minute later she emerged from the bathroom in one of the fluffy white robes the hotel had provided. “Hey.” She nodded at Satya while fiddling a bit with her hair, which had grown thick and wavy from the humidity. “I’m done in there. Water’s all warmed up if you want to use it.”

_She thinks I wish to use the shower?_ Satya glanced past Fareeha into the steamy bathroom. _If showering is her norm then she will think me foul if I do not._

“Oh,” Satya said, clearing her throat uncomfortably, “y-yes. That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

Fareeha stared at her for a moment. Satya plastered a smile on her face, unyielding. Eventually Fareeha shrugged. “All right. I’ll be out here.”

Satya hurried into the bathroom and shut the door tightly behind her. Once Fareeha could no longer see her she studied the odd bathing stall. It was long and white on the bottom, with a tiled wall inside and what appeared to be a folded-up curtain of some kind at one end of a metal rail near the ceiling. A nozzle with a dial beneath it sat high on the inner wall, leading Satya to deduce that was where the water would be coming from.

Pushing the curtain aside, she slipped her ragged shoes off and stepped inside the shower. It was still damp from Fareeha’s use.

She reached over to the dial, which had a blue circle at one end and a red circle at the other. Her hand hovered over it as she mulled it over. _Well, blue is a cool color and red is a warm color, so perhaps it correlates with that?_

She turned the dial to blue. Sure enough, ice-cold water blasted her right in the face. She hissed and drew back. _Augh, much too cold, and too forceful!_

There was a lever beneath the dial, which was currently cranked all the way to the right. Reaching through the jets of freezing water, Satya pushed it closer to the middle. To her relief, the pressure of the water calmed to more of a heavy rainstorm. Made confident by her success with that dial, she then adjusted the one with the colored circles. Near the middle, slightly toward the red circle, she found the water to be pleasantly warm and just right.

With the settings perfect, Satya flipped her hair over and began working through it with her fingers. As she groomed herself she caught sight of a shelf on the wall filled with tiny bottles. _Hm?_ She picked one up and gave it a sniff. It reeked of artificial scenting. Two of them, however, were wet, implying Fareeha had just used them. _Perhaps she finds these scents appealing?_

After a moment of hesitation, Satya unscrewed the cap on one of the bottles and poured it over her head. She shook the bottle until it emptied completely, dripping down onto her arms, stomach and legs. She ran her fingers through her hair, noticing that the liquid was becoming bubbly and lathered. _Oh?_ She rubbed her hands together. White suds dripped from between her fingers. _What an interesting solution._ She rubbed it into her dress next, which had suffered some stains since her last bath. It seemed to help somewhat, as the dress came out cleaner than it went in. Once it felt clean enough Satya pulled it off over her head, wrung it out, then draped it over the rack just outside the shower.

As she stepped back into the shower she noticed the floor was quite wet. The water from the shower nozzle was splashing out all over the tiles. _Hm. Poor design._

Now down to her bare flesh, Satya could appreciate the warm water quite a bit more. Most of her baths were in cold or lukewarm water. Unfortunately, letting herself get too relaxed wasn’t an option. Although she supposed she wasn’t in any sort of threatening or sensitive situation…

She eased her face into the soothing stream, her teeth lengthening as she slipped out of her human disguise and into her true form.

* * *

 

The hotel room had a bunch of books on a shelf near the bed. Most were in Swiss, or German, or something, but Fareeha did find one that was in English. _War and Peace? Boring._ She stuffed it back on the shelf.

She decided to scroll through her phone to waste time instead. Everyone she knew was still just going about their normal lives. _I just had to be the unlucky motherfucker who needed to make a late-night grocery run._ She looked over the pictures people were posting, the jokes they were making, the things they were complaining about. She slowed on a photo of one of her exes (of course they were still friends, they were lesbians after all), a selfie of her and a woman Fareeha had never seen before. _She’s out there meeting girls while I’m trying to find a way to survive without drinking human blood._ Why was life unfair like that? Fareeha had always strived to be the best person she could be. To make a positive impact on the world. _And look at me now._

Quite some time passed before she started to wonder what the heck was taking Satya so long in the shower. She had long hair, but did it really take _that_ long to wash?

Not wanting to pester the other woman, she did her best to ignore it and focus on other things. She looked around at the room. It was so needlessly fancy. She was used to standard hotels with an average bed, a few crappy metal lamps and not much else. This felt like a luxury resort by comparison. Actually it probably _was_ considered a luxury resort.

Zürich itself was lovely, too. The buildings were painted in fanciful colors, lining rivers dotted with cute little lights. It seemed removed from time, in some ways. She could hardly believe it hosted one of the most advanced medical facilities in the world.

After what must have been 45 minutes, Fareeha finally couldn’t wait anymore. “Satya?” She got up and went over to the bathroom door, where droplets of cooled steam were collecting along the bottom of it. “Is everything okay in there? You’ve been in there forever.”

Her callout received no response.

“Satya?” She knocked on the door. “You okay?”

Still no response. A bit of concern niggled at her conscience. _She’s probably fine, but…_

“Okay, I’m – I’m gonna open the door a little, all right? If you’re fine just…say you’re fine, I guess.”

She opened the door. Immediately the steam assailed her, and she waved it away. When it cleared she realized the shower curtain was wide open – and Satya was sitting on the shower floor. “Uh…?”

Satya had her eyes closed, and was simply letting the water run over her hair and face. Her horns were fully grown out, twisting backwards out from her temples, and her skin was deathly grey.

She opened one eye as Fareeha approached. Then suddenly she got to her feet, exposing every centimeter of herself.

Fareeha balked. The rational part of her brain screamed at her to be decent and look away, but she was too stunned to do anything but just stare like a slack-jawed fool.

Satya grinned, exposing her needle-like fangs. Then she knelt down and rested her elbows on the side of the bathtub, setting her chin on one palm. It was such a weirdly cute and sexy pose that Fareeha couldn’t even muster any words. She took a few graceless steps backward. Satya’s expression soured, and she beckoned Fareeha with a single clawed finger.

“I…I don’t think I should…” Fareeha made a face and lifted one foot. “Why is the floor soaked?”

Satya snarled. Climbing out of the tub, she stood at her full height before Fareeha, absolutely nothing covering her but some hair.

Fareeha’s breathing quickened as she took in both the sight and the scent – though it was diluted by what smelled like an entire bottle’s worth of shampoo – of the woman before her. Her eyes strayed only to look down at herself, when she realized her own hands had sprouted claws and that a forked tongue was slipping between her lips to taste the thick, damp air around her.

Satya reached out and cupped the side of Fareeha’s face. Fareeha shuddered as Satya’s claws brushed the nape of her neck.

It was as if something primal had taken hold within her – all it took was another devilish little smile from Satya and Fareeha couldn’t resist. She took her sire in her arms and planted another kiss on her smiling mouth. Satya responded with a sound that Fareeha interpreted as one of pleasant surprise. With total authority Satya slipped her hands down and stripped Fareeha of her robe, letting it drop to the wet floor at their feet.

Normally Fareeha would have been embarrassed, or at least bashful about her nakedness, but at that moment she didn’t care. She let Satya lead her into the shower, where the warm water coursed down her wings and back. There she pushed Satya against the wall and kissed her harder. Satya’s hands drifted upward to Fareeha’s breasts, giving them a sharp, teasing squeeze. Fareeha moaned into her mouth. Then she drew back a moment.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it.” She found it a struggle to speak, her words emerging as half-growls. “You wanted to turn me into a monster.”

Satya searched her face, seemingly unsure whether Fareeha’s words were teasing or accusing.

“Well,” Fareeha pinned her by the shoulders, prompting a nervous smile from Satya, “you got your wish.” She leaned right in beside Satya’s ear, tickling her flesh with her breath. “And I’m gonna fucking destroy you.”

Satya’s eyes sparkled. Fareeha couldn’t help but grin at her reaction. They melded together in another kiss, Fareeha keeping her pressed up against the wall, Satya exploring every inch of her with eager claws.

* * *

 

Hana stirred. “Huh…?” When she opened her eyes she found Jamie was already sitting up, looking around. Something was making a massive racket. “What’s all that banging?”

“Dunno.” Jamison crept out of bed and listened by the door. “Kinda sounds like somebody’s havin’ a wrestlin’ match.” With a smirk, he added, “Wouldn’t happen to be yer friend and her, uh, lady friend, would it?”

“No way. They’re both too wimpy to go for anything like that.” She pulled the blanket up over her head and tried to tune out the noise. Jamison rejoined her at her side. “Besides, it’s been going on _way_ too long to be that.”

“Well, uh…” Jamison chuckled uncomfortably. “Ya might not have the most accurate average experience from me…”

Hana shrugged and nestled under the covers. “Whatever. We can find out in the evening what it was.”

“Sure, sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact I actually based Satya's "full" vampire form on D.Va the Destroyer from Heroes of the Storm because that's how I envisioned *Hana's* full vampire form to look, then Blizzard went and gave Satya a dragon skin so once again my ideas have coincided with Blizzard's and it's making me so paranoid lmao
> 
> Anyway I have this other really good top secret idea where D.Va gets a full-length animated cinematic and a comic and Jeff Kaplan paypals me five thousand US dollars.. I sure hope Blizz doesn't steal those ideas from me and do those things


	8. Queen of the Damned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please don't sue me Anne Rice

That night everyone met in Amélie’s room. Hana and Jamie got there first, then Lena arrived some time later.

“Where the heck is Satya?” Hana folded her arms. “I hope she wasn’t up checking on me all day.”

Moments later the door opened – and Hana gasped. In addition to looking like they’d barely slept, both Satya and Fareeha were absolutely covered in bite and claw marks. They looked as though they’d just wrestled the world’s most vicious bear.

Neither of them made eye contact with anyone as they sat down on the sofa by the window.

“Are you okay?” Hana planted herself beside Satya, who still did not look her way. “What’s with all the bites?”

Amélie folded one leg over the other and smirked as she looked them over. Lena was visibly trying to remove herself from the scenario.

“I am fine, my dear.” Satya stared straight ahead.

“Then why are you acting weird?” Hana leaned over and sniffed her. She didn’t smell too out of the ordinary, although she had a weird fake floral scent clinging to her.

“So,” Amélie cut in, “how was everyone’s day? Sleep well?”

“Not really,” Jamison replied. “Something was bangin’ all god damn day.”

Satya tensed noticeably. Hana narrowed her eyes and leaned toward her again. “Was it _you_ , Satya?”

“I am neither confirming nor denying anything.”

“Let them have their private business,” Amélie said, though she was still smirking. “We need to talk about our plans for tonight.”

“What’s to talk about?” Jamie replied. “We sneak into that blood lab, take what we need, then get the heck outta there. Right?”

“No, idiot.” Amélie swept a disapproving stare over all of them. “We are going to pay Dr. Ziegler a visit. We are going to talk to her. We are going to try to work out a deal with her.”

“Are we gonna tell her we’re vampires?” Hana asked.

“She is familiar with our kind. She will not be surprised by that.”

Finally Fareeha spoke up. “This human just…knows we exist?”

Amélie examined her fingernails. “Oh, she is not human.”

“Wait, what? What is she, then?”

“I’m not sure. But she is far too old to be a mere mortal. I have known of her for too long now.”

“Sure it’s not, like, a family practice? Maybe she’s Angela Ziegler the Tenth or something.”

“Oh, yes. Perhaps.” Amélie’s tone clearly communicated that she wasn’t considering Fareeha’s suggestion in the least. “Anyway, I stayed up and called her office in the middle of the day. Her secretary said she is in until 11 o’clock most nights. Plenty of time for us to get there.”

“Don’t you usually have to make, you know, appointments with doctors…?”

“I get the feeling she recognized my name.”

“Oh, well look at you.”

“So when are we leavin’?” Lena asked. “’Cause I’m ready to go whenever. Sooner the better, really.”

“Eager to meet the good doctor?” Amélie tossed her hair. “She does seem like quite the woman.”

“I’m not eager for _that_ reason.” Lena huffed. “Besides, no woman will ever be as perfect as Emily, doctor or not.”

Amélie reached out and grabbed her cheek, pinching it like a grandmother might. “Such a sweet girl.”

“Pisch off.” Her words were a bit slurred from having half her face pinched.

Hana caught a whiff of what she had come to recognize as Satya’s “Fareeha” scent. She glanced over and, sure enough, Fareeha was leaned in close to her ear, whispering something. Satya was smiling coyly, leaning into her as well.

Hana cleared her throat. “So did you guys have sex last night or what?”

The question startled both of them. Satya frowned. “Hana, I…was planning to tell you privately…”

Hana stared at her for a long time. Then a slow smile broke out across her face. “Satya… _I’m so happy for you!_ ”

Satya tilted her head. “You are?”

“Ever since we got here I’ve been hoping you’d find something to make you happy besides me. I don’t want you to just be my mom and nothing else. It’s not fair to you.”

Satya blinked slowly. “…I did not want to tell you because I thought you would feel that I had betrayed you. Or neglected you.”

“What?? Why would I…”

She realized everyone else in the room was staring at her, waiting to resume their conversation without Hana talking over them. “Um, never mind. Continue.”

“So is everyone ready to leave?” Amélie asked. “I brought some…food, in my luggage for us before we go, but I wish to get going as immediately after that as possible. Is that acceptable?”

“Oi, pass me some’a that blood. I’m _parched._ ” Jamison inched over to Amélie’s bag. Amélie slapped him away, then reached in herself. She pulled out a large canteen and a stack of plastic cups, and poured a roughly even amount into each cup.

Hana snatched hers and gulped it down. “Man, this is so much better than having to suck it out of a tiny little bite wound,” she said with a chuckle, “you know?”

She looked to Satya for affirmation. Satya was angled toward Fareeha again, the two of them snickering at something Hana hadn’t heard. _Hm. Guess the downside to sharing Satya is that I have to, well, share Satya._ She brushed it off. _Whatever. I’m an adult. I don’t need my mother figure’s attention_ all _the time._

They finished their drinks in relative silence, then prepared for the trip.

* * *

 

The hospital (its name was long and unreadable to Fareeha – _geez, and people say Arabic is complicated_ ) was massive and crowded with humans, even in the middle of the night. Sickly-looking humans turned their heads to follow the group of rather attention-grabbing vampires. Amélie was dressed in her usual countess finery, sharply contrasting Lena’s worn-out British flag shirt and short shorts, Fareeha’s Helix Security t-shirt and jeans with holes bitten into them (and no bra underneath, which she was trying desperately to conceal), Satya’s dress that was still slightly damp from her apparently showering in it, Jamison’s…nothing but torn-up cargo shorts (he seemed to have no interest in procuring a shirt to wear), and Hana in what Fareeha was pretty sure was a nightshirt and sleep shorts, both with little rabbits on them, that she didn’t have the heart to tell the girl weren’t meant to be worn outside the house. _Whatever. We’re in a hospital. Nobody’s gonna be judging what we’re wearing._

People were definitely looking, though.

Amélie approached the desk in the center of the waiting area with the utmost confidence. A middle-aged human woman looked up from her computer monitor, seemingly unimpressed by Amélie. “ _Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?_ ”

“Do you speak English?”

“May I help you?” The woman sounded bored and tired.

“We are here to see Dr. Ziegler. She expects us.”

The woman pulled something up on her computer. “Name?”

“Amélie Guillard.”

Exhaling, the woman typed something in. “Date of birth?”

Amélie faltered. “I’m sorry?”

“You’re a new patient, right? You’re going to have to fill out the paperwork.”

Amélie’s eye twitched. “You misunderstand. Dr. Ziegler is expecting me. I am not a ‘patient’ of–”

The woman shoved a clipboard and pen into Amélie’s hands. “Are you daft?” Amélie slammed it down on the counter. Fareeha noticed Lena was snickering behind one hand. “I am–”

“Ms. Guillard?”

From the doorway to one of the exam rooms stood a pale, waifish woman in a white medical coat. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and her face exuberated a radiance that made it impossible to tell her age. She held up a tablet with some writing on its screen.

“Dr. Ziegler, I presume?” Amélie smiled smugly at the woman at the counter before sashaying over to the doctor. “I know you’ve been _expecting_ us.”

“I have!” The woman smiled warmly, seeming to light up the entire room. Fareeha felt herself oddly drawn to it, like a moth to a lamp. She took a few steps forward, a small, dreamlike smile creeping across her face.

Suddenly a hand seized her wrist. She turned to find Hana staring up at her. The girl shook her head.

As if a fog were clearing from her mind, Fareeha shook her head and blinked a few times. Looking back to her, Fareeha realized the doctor didn’t really look all that radiant or ethereal after all. A chill ran down her spine as she realized that she recognized that foggy feeling from before. _She’s using hypnosis. Just like the vampires._

Without the hypnotic glamour cast over her Dr. Ziegler actually looked pretty weathered, as though a great many years had slowly sapped her of her vibrancy. Her fingers were long and bony, almost a bit shriveled-looking, and her hair was dull dirty blonde, split ends and dried-out bits poking out all over. She also had dark, heavy bags under both eyes. In that regard she looked almost…haunted.

“Do come in,” the doctor said, waving them toward the room behind her. “All of you are welcome.”

Satya took Hana’s hand and whispered, “ _Main is aurat par bharosaa naheen karataa.”_

Hana nodded. “ _Mujhe lagataa hai ki vah Fareeha ko sammohit kar rahee thee.”_

Fareeha turned to them. “What are you saying about me?”

“Just be cautious,” Satya whispered. “That is all.”

They gathered in the examination room. It was pretty clearly only meant for a doctor and one patient, but Dr. Ziegler had brought in a few extra chairs. Jamison plunked himself right down in one. Everyone else seemed too alert to want to take a seat.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Dr. Ziegler offered a hand to Amélie, who shook it politely. “I’ve been hoping you would someday come to me, Ms. Guillard.”

“Oh? And why is that, Doctor?”

“Please, call me Angela.” She had a very persuasive smile even when her hypnotic powers weren’t apparently active. However Fareeha was cautious – the fact that she utilized hypnosis at all had her a bit on edge. It was hard to trust any creature that could bend others to its will so easily. “And I’ve been wanting to meet the woman who has shepherded and assisted so many vampires over the years. Opening your home to them – that’s quite kind of you.”

Amélie folded her arms and chuckled. “’Kind…’ I don’t know that I would say that, but as you will.”

Angela finally took a look around at the rest of the vampires. “What an interesting lot you have here. Are they all yours, or…?”

“No. Only Lena.” Amélie settled her hands on Lena’s shoulders, nudging her forward. Lena rolled her eyes.

“Ah. Nice to meet you, Lena.” Angela leaned down to her like one would a child. “How old are you, if I may?”

Lena raised an eyebrow. “Twenty-six…?”

“In vampire years? Or human years?”

“…I’m twenty-six. I was born twenty-six years ago.”

“Twenty-six years…” Amélie snorted. “I’ve taken _naps_ longer than that.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all know you’re old as dirt.”

Angela chuckled. “Well you seem to have a good rapport with your fledgling, at least.”

“We do?” Lena mumbled.

“So we came here to talk about your blood synthesization,” Amélie said. “We are wondering if it might be an adequate nutritional substitute for true human blood, since some of the younger converts among us are opposed to hunting humans.”

Angela’s cheerful expression sobered. She snapped her fingers. The laptop on the counter suddenly lifted into the air and drifted right into her hands.

Fareeha looked around to see if anyone was as stunned as her. Thankfully she didn’t seem to be alone in her amazement – only Amélie looked anything but shocked.

“I have been trying for centuries to craft a blood substitute that would sate vampiric thirst. Even synthetic blood that performs all of the vital functions in human bodies doesn’t seem to work. All of the vampires I have ever tested still went mad from hunger, even when feeding on copious amounts of synthetic blood.”

Fareeha could practically feel her heart sink. “So…you don’t have a solution.”

“I’m sorry. It isn’t for lack of trying. I just think that there is more to blood-feeding than consuming the blood itself.”

“What do you mean?” Satya finally spoke up.

Angela closed the laptop, but kept it in her hands. “Would you be willing to accompany me to my office?”

They all exchanged glances. Amélie folded her arms. “I suppose.”

“Good.” She lifted her arms, and a golden glow began to radiate from her fingertips. The plain white exam room wall lit up with energy, and a doorway carved itself seemingly from nothing. Angela stepped through the doorway, then beckoned for the vampires to follow.

“Stay behind me.” Amélie herded them all behind herself. “Just in case.”

“In case what?” Hana whispered.

“Just in case.”

Amélie strode through the doorway, followed closely by Lena. The moment they stepped through it the two women disappeared from sight.

“I don’t like this,” Fareeha uttered. “We don’t know _what_ we’re dealing with here.”

“I agree.” Satya touched her fingertips to the odd barrier. “Despite the cheery coloring this energy has a dark edge to it.”

“What kinda weirdo crap…” Jamison stuck his artificial arm through the barrier. “Y’know I left Australia to become an international criminal, not to deal with crazy magic mumbo jumbo like this…”

Hana reached curiously toward the barrier. Satya tensed, and her hand went up, as if to stop her – but she held herself back. Acting on an impulse, Fareeha grabbed Hana by the wrist and pulled her back. “Huh?” Hana glanced back at her, surprised.

“Don’t go just yet,” Fareeha said. “We’ll all go together.”

Satya smiled a little. Fareeha gave her a small nod.

Satya took Hana’s hand, then looked uncertainly to Fareeha. Jamison raised an eyebrow at the lot of them. With a note of hesitation Fareeha lifted her hand and let Satya hold hers as well. Ever bold and determined to protect her fledglings, Satya led them through the barrier, into the unknown.

* * *

 

Angela’s office wasn’t a room. It was some sort of interdimensional pocket that seemed to stretch on infinitely in every direction. The ‘sky’ was dark and full of twinkling lights that resembled stars, and the path they walked was of a turquoise light leading to a starlit glow somewhere on the distant horizon.

“Whoa.” Lena rotated in a full circle as they walked. “This place is…amazin’.”

“This is my thinking space.” Angela led them through the infinite space before her. “Sometimes you just need to get away from everything for a while.”

“Did you create this place?”

“No. I just found a way into it.”

“Well it’s beautiful. Damn.”

“Thank you.” Angela turned to Amélie, who had her arms folded and was barely looking around. “You don’t seem too impressed, Ms. Guillard.”

“I am not impressed by most things these days,” she replied flatly.

Angela frowned. “And why is that?”

“Because I am old? I don’t feel much of anything anymore.”

Angela tilted her head, her interest visibly piqued. “How old are you?”

“I am over a thousand years old.”

“Only a thousand?” Angela studied her. “I am far, _far_ older than that…maybe you just have a blockage of some kind? An emotional blockage.”

Amélie huffed. “A what?”

Angela touched her hands together and then spread them back out. A staff materialized between them. She held it high, golden energy swirling around its delicately-carved end – then she lowered it back down until it bumped against Amélie’s chest.

“What are you doing?”

Lena watched with curiosity as the staff’s golden light arced into Amélie’s body. Amélie gasped, and her entire body tensed. A few seconds later Angela withdrew the staff and pushed her hands back together, dissolving it into nothing but sparkles of yellow light.

Amélie’s hands settled slowly over her heart. “What…have you done?”

A doorway of light appeared between them. Satya stepped out of it, followed by Hana, Fareeha, and Jamison. Satya looked around, stunned. “What is this place…?”

Angela led them forward. “This is more of a gateway. We won’t be talking here.”

“So, uh,” Fareeha piped up, “are you ever gonna tell us, y’know, what you actually _are?_ ‘Cause I don’t think humans _or_ vampires can do whatever this is.”

Angela paused, and turned to look at her. “I wish I could tell, myself.”

“Huh? You don’t know what you are?”

The doctor stepped through an illuminated doorway at the far end of the odd interdimensional hallway. Satya followed her, but hesitated when she realized Amélie and Lena were way behind. “Is everything all right, you two?”

“Kinda wonderin’ that myself.” Lena latched on to Amélie’s forearm and tugged her forward a step. “Amélie? Hellooo?”

Finally Amélie lifted her gaze, slowly, as though she could hardly bear to make eye contact with her fledgling.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, just quit starin’ at the floor like a damn weirdo.”

“I’m sorry for everything I did to you.” Her voice cracked. Satya realized the old vampiress’ eyes were wet with tears.

Lena’s hand lowered from Amélie’s arm. She stared, dumbfounded, at the other woman.

Amélie wiped her eyes. “It has been so long since I have felt anything…I am not sure I wanted my feelings back…”

Finally snapping out of her stunned silence, Lena cleared her throat. “Well, hey, suck – suck it up.”

Amélie’s eyebrows raised, but Lena continued.

“Quit cryin’. There’s emotions other than bein’ sad.”

Amélie sniffled. “Not for me.”

Lena sighed. “Okay, how about – how about the fact that there are probably, like, at least a _million_ dogs in the world that you could pet? Pettin’ a dog wouldn’t make ya sad.”

Amélie’s frown deepened. “I don’t like dogs.”

“Don’t like – _what??_ ” Lena looked taken aback. “Okay, fine. What about _cats?_ ”

Amélie gave a half-hearted shrug.

“Well what’s yer favorite animal then??”

Amélie stared dolefully at her. “I like spiders.”

Lena’s face contorted. “…Spiders.” Forcing a more neutral expression, she said, “Okay, there’s probably at least a few types of _spider_ somewhere out there that you could pet. …Maybe.”

For a moment Amélie said nothing. Then she reached out and tousled Lena’s hair, smiling just a bit at Lena’s protests. “You are kinder to me than I deserve.”

“Yeah, I know. Now c’mon, quit bein’ a mope and leavin’ the doctor waitin’ for us.”

Satya felt a hand link with hers, larger and coarser than Hana’s. Of course, it was Fareeha. Satya leaned into her, taking comfort in her touch and scent.

“Come on, you lovebirds.” Hana was waiting reluctantly for them, Jamison a step ahead. She was smirking. “Let’s gooo!”

They followed Hana through the doorway. The moment they stepped out of it Satya was startled by a complete change of scenery. Wilderness reigned, the trees and underbrush around them held in check by nothing but a rudimentary wall of stones circling maybe a dozen tiny, rough-hewn dwellings. _Some sort of village?_

Angela rested her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. “This is the place where I was born.”

Everything smelled so unfamiliar. Even the earth itself smelled different, as if its chemical composition had changed. _This must be thousands of years ago…maybe even tens of thousands…_

A small girl with tan skin and dark brown hair sat on the ground in the middle of the village. With a sharpened stick she scratched simple patterns into the dirt. Her clothing looked like the clothes of the pre-historic peoples Satya and Hana had seen depicted in old history books. Pieced-together furs and animal hides were her only cover from the blazing sun overhead.

“Is this…real?” Fareeha reached out to try and touch part of the stone wall. Her hand fazed right through it, answering her question.

“That is you?” Satya pointed to the girl, but looked to Dr. Ziegler.

Angela nodded. “The first of many, many forms I have taken…a plague had swept through our village, claiming the lives of many of us. It took my mother and father from me. Somehow I survived, though I no longer think it was a miracle of any sort. The spirits had taken interest in me even then.”

“So when you said Amélie was ‘only’ a thousand years old,” Lena murmured, “you really weren’t exaggeratin’.”

“No. I wasn’t.”

The scene around them changed. Little Angela was still scrawling in the dirt, but the drawings had grown intricate and slightly disturbing in nature – aggressive, angular lines intersected humanoid shapes, piercing their bodies like blades. A few older villagers stood away from her, talking amongst themselves in a language Satya did not understand.

“I was filled with confusion and anger. The spirits who had taken interest in me indulged those emotions. I think they fed on it. But in spite of that, as I grew older I eventually decided I would channel my energy into becoming a healer. I wanted to save people. I dreamed of someday becoming so effective a healer that I would find a way to defeat death itself. Then I could bring my family back to life…or so my child mind believed.”

The young Angela faded, replaced by a grown woman of similar appearance. In her hands she held a staff, much like the one Angela had wielded just minutes before. A sick human lay on a straw bed beneath her. They shielded themselves weakly with their frail arms.

“My people respected me, but they feared me. They believed me to be touched by spirits. More than human. And…” She lifted a hand. Glowing golden light radiated from it. Suddenly the scene was wiped out altogether, leaving them in darkness.

Hana clutched Satya’s hand. Satya squeezed it tight.

When the light returned to the world around them, it shone upon a very different scene. A teenage Angela knelt in the shaded heart of a forest, an array of picked plants and flowers spread out meticulously before her. Lowering her head, she began to murmur something to herself.

“I was so lost,” the doctor narrated. “So desperate. Completely alone. I wished more than anything to bring my family back to life, no matter the cost. And the only creatures who could grant me that…”

“Demons,” Satya said.

“Essentially. Although even they could not bring my parents back directly – they could only give me the power, and the time, to concoct a solution myself. I spent years bartering with them, trading bits and pieces of my humanity in exchange for more knowledge and more time. Eventually I had nothing left to give. I had traded all of my mortality for the tools to defeat death for all of humankind.”

“…Is this going where I think it’s going?” Fareeha asked.

Angela waved her hand and changed the illusion around them yet again. This time a young Asian woman sat at a wooden table, scrawling notes on thick paper.

“I was never able to bring them back,” Angela uttered. “I learned the hard way that the spirits had lied to me. There is no way to truly reverse death…but you can _prevent_ it.”

The young woman stood up from her desk. From beneath it she retrieved a glittering knife. “For centuries I had been perfecting my cure for mortality,” Angela explained. “I believed I had finally gotten it just right.” The woman came to stand over a makeshift cot. On it lay a young man, covered in wounds and pale from loss of blood. He gasped weakly as the doctor dragged the knife across her own wrist. She uttered something in an unfamiliar language – then pushed her bleeding cut to the man’s mouth.

“Where medicine had failed me, I came to rely on the otherworldly to find my cure.” Angela watched the scene unfold, not turning to face any of the vampires behind her. “A dark ritual…”

The young man visibly protested, but the woman persisted, holding him in place until her blood seeped into his mouth.

“I thought the spirits were on my side,” Angela continued, her voice growing quieter and harder to hear. “But not all were. For the man whose death I prevented that day – he was not entirely human himself.”

“What was he?” Hana asked.

Angela looked to the scene she had crafted. The man eventually sat up, his wounds closing, the strength returned to his movements. His eyes were glowing. As he rose to his feet he moved threateningly closer to the woman with the knife. Then his flesh began to ripple and transform, an emerald light radiating just beneath the surface. Angela watched in silence as the scene played out, and the young man transformed from a human to something altogether different.

Four green, clawed feet struck the floor between them. The man, turned dragon, angled his massive head to fix the woman with the stare of one thin, reptilian pupil. His long, forked tongue flicked outward, intimidatingly close to the woman’s face. The woman retreated backward, her eyes wide with fear.

“The man I had fed my blood to was not only a man. He had the spirit of a dragon within him. And I had just given that man-dragon a taste for, and what I did not realize would become a _need_ for, human blood and life energy.” Angela lifted her head, staring blankly at the scene. “I dreamed of elevating humanity, bringing us to an existence without death and suffering. In the process…I damned us all.”

“So this guy was the first vampire…?” Fareeha asked.

Angela nodded slowly. “I saved his life, but his newfound thirst sent him on a rampage. He was angry, and hurt. He resented me for transforming him. In his confusion and anger he fed on humans far and wide, spreading his curse throughout the world.”

“So we all came from some angsty dragon guy,” Hana said, “that you made into the first vampire.”

Angela nodded again. “And without the ability to die, I was forced to watch the curse unfold before me. All around the world…”

The illusion around them transformed into a castle setting. A dark-skinned woman in golden finery lay on a bed of silken sheets. A large, statuesque dark-skinned man with snow-white hair pulled back in a ponytail, dressed in solid white as well, leaned in and very carefully lifted the woman’s chin. The woman winced. Starkly visible on the otherwise-flawless flesh of her throat were two dark puncture marks.

“You got bitten?” Fareeha said.

“That isn’t me.” She pointed to the man examining the woman. “That is me. I told you I’ve taken on many forms over the millennia. I’d have been burned as a witch for sure by now if I didn’t.”

“…Oh.”

The bitten woman suddenly lunged at the man. The man held her away, careful not to hurt her. “After what happened, I spent centuries traveling the world, trying to minimize the damage I had done. Anywhere bite victims turned up, I followed. I tried to blend in as best I could…it wasn’t until about a century ago that I settled down here in Switzerland and began pursuing a formal education in modern medicine. That was when I discovered that humans were researching synthetic blood. I came to believe that if I could not cure vampirism, perhaps I could at least eliminate my creations’ need to hunt innocent humans to survive.”

“You said it doesn’t work,” Satya said.

Angela shook her head solemnly. “There is more to it than just the consumption of blood. Unlike bats or other blood-drinking animals, you were not the results of natural selection. You were birthed from the supernatural. When you feed on humans you aren’t just drinking their blood – you’re consuming a part of their life force as well. That’s how you’re able to keep living in spite of your bodies being dead.”

“What about Satya?” Hana pointed to her. “She was born this way.”

Satya folded her arms self-consciously. “It still holds true for me. My parents thought I was stillborn at first. It wasn’t until my mother fed me some of her blood that I came alive.”

“So…there’s no way to avoid feeding from humans.” Fareeha kept her eyes averted, her tone low and devoid of the optimism she’d held before.

“I’m sorry. I truly wish I could help.”

Fareeha ran a hand through her hair, saying nothing.

“So how did you know about me?” Amélie finally said.

Angela broke the illusion around them. Satya realized they had apparently been in her mundane medical office right along. _Is she an illusionist? Or was she performing mass hypnosis on us?_

Picking up a clipboard as if nothing unusual had happened, Dr. Ziegler said, “I was informed of your existence by a spirit.”

“A spirit?” Amélie studied her. “What kind of spirit?”

“The spirit of a chatty Frenchman who seemed relieved someone could finally hear him.”

Amélie’s eyes went wide. “Are you being serious? Or are you joking with me?”

“I’m not joking. He had quite a lot to say about you. I was under the impression he was one of your victims?”

“Was he angry with me?? Did he forgive me??” Amélie’s tone was sharp, but also filled with desperation.

“Goodness, it was centuries ago…I really only remembered your name.” Angela frowned. “If it makes you feel any better, I do recall him boasting about your mansion. That was how I knew where you lived.”

“Boasting about my mansion…?” Amélie lowered her eyes. A tiny, almost sad chuckle escaped her. “Yes, that does sound like my Gérard.”

“Gérard, yes, that was his name! I’m sorry I don’t remember much else. But overall he didn’t seem angry with you. He’d seemed as though he just needed a listening ear to complain to. And I was happy to oblige him.”

Amélie sat down in one of the office chairs, folding her spindly legs together. “I don’t suppose there is any way I could talk to him.”

“You would have to summon his spirit. I don’t typically do summonings – they usually come to me.”

“And he never came to you again?”

“No. I assumed that being able to get everything off his chest was all he’d needed before he was ready to move on from this world and find peace elsewhere. I don’t know for sure, though.”

Amélie rested a hand on her forehead. Though they were shielded from the rest of the room, Satya caught a glimmer of dampness in her eyes.

“Have you ever communicated with the spirits of deceased vampires?” Satya decided to ask.

“I have.”

“So they do have souls of some kind?”

“Something like that. They certainly possess some sort of supernatural energy. Perhaps an amalgamation of those they’ve fed from.”

“Have you spoken to born vampires? Or just converts?”

“Born vampires are exceedingly rare. I have met only a handful in my lifetime.”

“You definitely have a soul,” Hana whispered. “No way you don’t.”

Satya took her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Fareeha didn’t seem to have anything to say – nor did anyone else. She, Jamison, and Lena were all just standing idle, Fareeha leaning against the wall of the office, Lena and Jamison just sort of shifting back and forth uncertainly.

This wasn’t the result they had wanted, and they certainly must have been the most disappointed. Fareeha especially. Satya sympathized with her, and once again a gnawing guilt welled up inside of her. _I did this to her. I damned her forever._

“Is there really no other way for us to feed?” Satya asked. “None of us chose this life. It seems so…unfair.”

Dr. Ziegler breathed out a long breath. “I plan to keep looking for as long as I still exist here. But a part of me has come to believe that even if there _is_ an alternative, we may never find it. Perhaps that is part of the curse…my curse…that you all bear.”

“I was just trying to get some fucking milk and eggs,” Fareeha muttered.

Angela raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”

“We bit her in the parking lot of a grocery store,” Hana answered. “Hey, at least we did it on the way out. You still got them!”

“Yeah, and they sat in my truck all night! I was too busy passing out in my own vomit on the kitchen floor.”

“Oh.” Hana averted her eyes. “…Sorry.”

Angela wore an expression of what appeared to be sadness, or perhaps guilt, or a mix of the two. “I’m sorry that I cannot help you. The most I can do is keep in touch and let you know if I have any breakthroughs.”

Satya stole a glance around at her companions. Fareeha just looked despondent. Hana was watching her back with a neutral expression. Jamison seemed to have lost interest long ago, and was picking at the area where his organic leg met his prosthetic. Lena looked similar to Fareeha. Amélie had a faraway look in her eyes, and it seemed she was, mentally at least, somewhere quite far from everyone else.

“This was a waste of time.” Fareeha headed for the door. Satya hesitated, looking to Dr. Ziegler. With a wave of her hand the doctor gave her the silent go-ahead. And so Satya followed Fareeha out the door, which led to a completely mundane hospital hallway.

Amélie didn’t follow them. “Dr. Ziegler, do you have a minute to talk? Just the two of us.”

Angela raised her eyebrows. “Of course.”

“Very well.” She turned to the others. “Wait for me in the waiting room.”

“What about me?” Lena asked.

“You too, dear.”

Lena pursed her lips, but went along with the others.

There were at least a dozen humans still lingering in the waiting room, many smelling of illness. Satya paused when she noticed Hana staring at a human couple with a crying infant. The presumed father was holding the child while the presumed mother whispered to it and wiggled her finger in front of it.

Satya took Hana gently by the hand and led her away.

Lena took a reluctant seat by the door, folding her arms as she waited. The thought crossed Satya’s mind that Lena could easily just leave. She could take off into the night and leave Amélie with no idea where she’d gone. But she didn’t. She waited faithfully, if a bit impatiently, for her sire to catch up with them.

 _“I would not recommend that, Ms. Guillard.”_ Angela’s voice rang clear through the thin wooden door.

The door swung open, and Amélie strolled out. “Thank you, Dr. Ziegler. You’ve been most helpful.”

Angela’s eyes were dark. She said nothing as the vampires regrouped.

“Come,” Amélie beckoned to the rest of them, leading them toward the exit. “Let us return to the hotel. I think we will be heading home a bit early.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if the Hindi wasn't correct. I researched quite a bit to try to get it right (didn't just use google translate), but I'm not fluent in Hindi so I'm sure there are probably mistakes there. But I wanted to include it.


	9. Her Ghost in the Fog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I didn't even realize until a full day later that the majority of this chapter didn't post?? Apparently AO3 can't handle emojis? (I had some in Emily's contact name).
> 
> The version posted yesterday was less than 1k out of a chapter that's over 4k words long! This is the finished version!

They had originally planned to take a cab back to the hotel, but Fareeha told the others she would walk back. It wasn’t far, and she needed the air.

She was mildly annoyed when Satya and Hana voiced their desire to accompany her, but internally a part of her was glad for the companionship. What truly surprised her was Lena asking if she could join them. Fareeha agreed, but found herself looking to Amélie.

“I am not walking,” Amélie said, though she sounded a bit defensive over her choice.

Jamison reached down and rubbed his good leg. “I don’t really feel like limpin’ through the whole city. Sorry, Hana.”

“It’s okay.” Hana rose up on her toes. Jamison leaned down and gave her a kiss. They both giggled a little.

Amélie didn’t look too pleased to be with just Jamison. Likewise, he still seemed nervous of her. He kept his distance as she stood by the side of the road outside the hospital with her phone in hand, tapping her foot.

Fareeha didn’t wait for them to be picked up. Instead she simply shoved her hands in her pockets and started walking. It was a bit of a cool night, which she was thankful for, as it helped to cool off some of the range of fiery emotions she was feeling at the moment. She inhaled, taking in all the novel scents of the city – the smell of a grill from a restaurant down the street, different scents of clothing – a human walking past her had a fleece pullover on, and she could somehow smell the warmth and coziness of it. A woman sitting on a bench nearby had perfume on, and she could even smell that. It was a little overwhelming. At that moment she understood Satya’s predicament in the airport the other night.

Speaking of Satya, she was trailing far behind with Hana, looking all around. The closest person to Fareeha was Lena, who didn’t seem to care to look at anything. Her gaze was on the sidewalk in front of her; nothing more.

“You okay?” Fareeha asked.

Her head snapped up. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Fine. I mean, I didn’t think anything was gonna come of this anyway, honestly.”

“Yeah. Me neither.”

“But you were hoping, weren’t you?”

Fareeha shrugged.

“…I was, too.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Fareeha tried to lose herself in the sounds of the cityscape, the voices and cars and sound of her own footsteps.

Something jingled nearby. She looked up to find a dog approaching her, followed by its human walker. Fareeha smiled a little. “Hey, doggie.” Crouching to its level, she held a hand out to let it sniff her.

The dog took a whiff of her hand – then its lips curled into a snarl. Its ears flattened back against its head, and it growled menacingly at her.

Fareeha backed away from it. The human woman walking the dog gave her a strange look. “Dogs – dogs normally like me,” Fareeha said. The woman said something in German to her dog and tugged it along.

Fareeha stood back up, her shoulders drooped. “I can’t pet dogs anymore?”

Lena kicked a rock in their path. “Guess you’ll have to start pettin’ spiders.”

“What’s up with you and her anyway?” Fareeha kicked the rock as well, her strength accidentally sending it flying. “You talk like you hate her, but pretty much everything you do says the opposite.”

Lena sighed. “She’s made it really hard to hate her all the way. You’d think it would be easy to despise the woman who took me away from everything and everyone in my life. But then I remind myself that she didn’t go and kidnap me. I went to her mansion to try to kill her.”

“Why?”

“’Cause I’m a vampire hunter. Or I was. And I’d always dreamed of bein’ the one to finally take down the dread Huntress.” For a moment her eyes lit up with emotion, but it didn’t last. “…Now look at me. I’m her pet.”

“What made you want to become a vampire hunter, anyway?”

“I just thought it was really cool. Ever since I was a young girl I was fascinated with vampires – but I knew they were _evil_. I wanted to make the world safer, so people could stop livin’ in fear at night. I figured, take out their figurehead The Huntress, everything on top’a that would just be gravy.”

“So you just showed up there one day and tried to kill her?”

“Uh-huh.” Lena smiled wistfully. “It was all dramatic and everything…I had a whole monologue prepared, like it was some kind’a epic superhero-supervillain showdown.” Her smile melted away into a frown. “I didn’t get halfway through my first sentence before she had me hypnotized and helping her tie me to a chair.”

“If only you talked a little faster.”

“People always tell me I _do_ talk really–”

Fareeha smirked.

“…Oh. You’re teasin’ me.” Lena sighed. “In the past I woulda laughed. I used to have a really good sense of humor. Nowadays, I dunno. I think I’m kinda depressed.”

“Hard not to be these days.”

Lena slowed to nearly a halt in the middle of the sidewalk. Fareeha stopped a few steps ahead of her, watching uncertainly as she fished a slightly outdated phone out of the pocket of her shorts. She rested her thumb on it for a moment, then opened a photo album. Fareeha leaned over to see what she was looking at. Lena’s thumb stopped swiping on a picture of herself and a woman with pale, freckled skin and long red hair.

“Is that Emily?” Fareeha tried to keep her tone low, gentle.

Lena nodded. “I still have her number in here – I mean, who knows if it’s even still her, but…”

“Call it.”

“What?”

“That’s the only way to find out if it’s still her number. Call it.”

“I’m not gonna call a girl who thinks I’m dead!”

“Okay. Your choice.” Fareeha shrugged and resumed a brisk pace.

“W-wait.”

Fareeha paused, hiding a knowing little smile.

Lena’s thumb hovered over the screen, which now displayed a contact labeled ‘Em’, with a thumbnail of the same redheaded woman from the first picture.

“C’mon, Lena, you’ve been hiding out from her for two years now. Why not at least see if she even answers?”

Lena gritted her teeth. “…Fine. But if this goes bad it’s all on you.”

She pushed the Call button, her hand visibly shaking. The screen changed. _Calling Em_ …

The phone rang once, twice, a third time. It started to ring a fourth, but halfway through the tone something clicked.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then a soft, feminine voice said, “…Hello?”

Lena’s eyes went wide. Making a tiny noise, she quickly ended the call.

“Why’d you hang up??”

“I-I couldn’t talk to…that was her…she’s still got the same number, and she answered…”

The phone lit up. Emily was calling back.

Lena squeezed her eyes shut. She stuffed the phone back into her pocket, letting it continue to vibrate, which it did for a long while. It finally stopped – then started up again a few seconds later.

“Seems like she’d want to get back in touch with you, at least.”

“Ohh…” Lena tugged at her hair. “Stop callin’!” she shouted at her pocket. “I didn’t think this through at all!”

“Why are you shouting?” Satya called from behind them. “Are you injured?”

Lena sighed. “Does a broken heart count?”

The phone gave one last long buzz. “That’s a voicemail,” Lena said. “God, I don’t even want to listen to it. This was a stupid idea.”

Fareeha didn’t push her. They continued on for but a few moments before Lena said, “…Aren’t you gonna tell me to listen to it?”

“If you’re not comfortable doing that, don’t. I’m not gonna judge you.”

Lena slid her phone halfway out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. “I mean…it’d be nice to hear her voice…”

Fareeha didn’t even have to say anything. Of her own volition Lena pulled the phone out and tapped on the voicemail. The two of them leaned in close to listen.

 _H-hi there,_ the uncertain voice of Emily said. _I don’t know who has this number these days, but it used to belong to someone very important to me, and if you could – I’d really appreciate it if you called me back. I’d just like to make sure it’s not her._

Lena stared at the phone for a long time.

“Are you just gonna leave it like that?” Fareeha asked.

Lena’s fingers tightened around the phone. She bit her lip. “She still cares. After all this time, after I went against her wishes chasin’ after vampires, when I thought she might’a just moved on…”

The phone started vibrating again.

With trembling hands Lena cautiously lifted the phone close, but not too close, to her face, and accepted the call.

“Please don’t disconnect!” Emily cried. “Who’s calling me from this number??”

Fareeha watched her. Lena seemed frozen, like she couldn’t find any words.

“Hello??” There was a note of franticness in Emily’s words. “Please, please tell me who you are.”

Lena’s eyes filled up. She reached hesitantly for the ‘End Call’ button. Fareeha grabbed her wrist, stopping her. When Lena looked up at her Fareeha met her with a fierce, stubborn stare.

Lowering her hand again, Lena cleared her throat of its teary phlegm. “…It’s me, Em.”

Emily’s end went dead silent.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t call all this time.” Suddenly she broke down into full tears. “I…I’ve been…”

“…Lena…?” Emily’s voice was a mix of confusion, amazement, and disbelief. “You…you’re… _alive?”_

Lena ducked off the main street, into a quiet alley. Fareeha followed her partway in, standing guard at the entrance. “She’s been keepin’ me in her house,” Lena choked out. “I had to stay with them.”

“Why’d you have to stay with them?” Emily paused. “Wait a minute. You went and got yourself _bitten,_ didn’t you?!”

“I know, I shoulda listened to you! It was stupid to pick a fight with the Huntress, I–”

“Oh my God, shut up!”

Fareeha raised her eyebrows at Emily’s response.

“I’m right miffed at you for goin’ off and then livin’ with this ‘Huntress’ for two bloody years without ever thinkin’ to drop your poor girlfriend a line that you’re not _dead_.” Her tone changed. “But, holy shit Lena…you don’t have to apologize. I…this is…the greatest news I could have ever hoped for. You’re _alive!_ ”

“I thought you’d hate me. And now I’m a _monster_. I have to drink human blood to stay alive…I couldn’t go back home to you like this.”

After a long silence, Emily said, “Could we maybe do a video call? I just need to see you. It’s been too long.”

Lena looked to Fareeha for advisement. Fareeha shrugged.

“I look…different now, Em. Not like how I looked the last time you saw me.”

“I don’t care. Please, Lena. I need this.”

It didn’t take much of her girlfriend’s pleading to convince her. “Okay, fine. But I warned you.”

Emily disconnected. A moment later the screen lit up asking to accept a video call. Reluctantly, Lena accepted.

They stared at each other for a good long while. Emily’s eyes flicked over Lena’s face, while Emily searched her girlfriend’s pale, dead complexion and blood-stained teeth.

Fareeha leaned over to sneak a peek at Emily. She looked nothing like the pictures Lena had shown her. Her eyes were sunken in their sockets and had thick, dark rings beneath them. Her hair looked dry and lifeless, nothing like the bouncy orange locks in the pictures.

Looking between her and Lena, it was difficult to tell who actually looked worse.

“Lena…” Emily bit her lip. “You look…so…”

“I know.”

Fareeha heard a tinny sniffle, and realized Emily had started to cry as well. “I told ya not to go there! Now look at you…”

“I know. This is why I didn’t call you. I didn’t want you to know that I was reduced to livin’ like this.” Wiping her eyes, Lena then said, “You don’t look too good yourself, Em. Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m…” Her shoulders sagged. They appeared much bonier than in the pictures as well. “…I’m all right. Just been…I’m all right.” Changing the subject, she said, “So what made ya finally call me? Did you get away from the Huntress?”

“Not…exactly. Actually one of my friends kinda pushed me to call.”

“Who?”

“Oh, you don’t know her. Her name’s Fareeha.”

Fareeha leaned in just long enough to give a polite wave.

Emily’s eyes widened. “O-oh, she’s…a…”

“Yeah, but she’s–” Lena retreated deeper into the alley. Fareeha glanced back at Satya and Hana, who were apparently transfixed by a flashing neon sign in the window of a restaurant. “–a recent convert.”

When finally Satya looked her way, Fareeha beckoned her over. She and Hana soon joined her a few meters from Lena. “Who is Lena speaking to?” Satya asked.

Hana, on the other hand, just marched right up to her. “Wow, there’s a lady in the phone!”

“Uh, Emily,” Lena chuckled nervously, “this is Hana.”

“Wait, can she see me?” Hana leaned in and squinted at the screen.

Emily stared back at her. “Yes, I can see you.”

“Whoa! Satya, come look at this!”

Moments later the three vampires were clustered around the phone, Lena shrugging sheepishly.

“This is your mate?” Satya asked her.

“Um, yeah. I mean, I think?”

“I haven’t dated anyone since you disappeared,” Emily said. “I couldn’t. And after I was goin’ through the things in the flat and I found…”

She held up her left hand, which bore a glittering gold ring. Lena gasped. “You – that’s the ring I…”

Emily smiled a little. “Yeah.”

“You’ve been wearin’ it all this time?”

Emily ran her hand through her dried-out hair. “Honestly? I’ve always kinda had a feeling – well, maybe more like a stupid hope – that you weren’t actually gone for good. The way you just up and disappeared without a trace…it seemed too weird. I thought about going to Annecy myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I don’t think I could have handled finding out you were really gone forever. That you were…dead.”

“Well technically she _is_ dead,” Hana piped up.

Emily’s smile dissolved. “What did that Huntress do to you, anyway? Are you all her prisoners?”

“Not quite,” Lena replied. “I mean, sort of? When she first defeated me she gave me the option to either be vampire chow or join her. Nowadays I _could_ leave, but I’d have to hunt on my own…and I have nowhere to go.”

Emily’s frown deepened. “I’d offer to take you in, but…”

“No, I understand.”

“It’s not that.” Emily lowered her eyes. “After you disappeared I was so distraught. I ended up losing my job, and then I couldn’t afford the flat anymore. So I’ve been, uh, bouncin’ around a lot.”

“Bouncin’ around? Where?”

“Oh, y’know…friends’ houses…relatives that don’t hate my lesbian guts…” She shrugged, her gaze still averted. “Couple of…shelters…”

“Emily,” Lena’s voice cracked in the middle of her name, “you’re _homeless?_ ”

Emily shielded her eyes with one sickly pale hand. “I’m sorry. I lost everything. I took what I could, which wasn’t much, and I just…” It was her turn to break down then.

Fareeha looked to Lena, and realized her eyes were filled up again too.

“Oh, Em…” Lena gripped the phone tight. “God, I wish I could hold ya right now. I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through all this.”

“It’s…fine…” She gathered herself enough to say, “Now that you’re back we can go back to how things were. Find another apartment, move back in together – right?”

Hana and Satya watched Lena curiously. “Em, I’d love to – God, I would – but I’m dangerous to you now. If I get too hungry I lose my self-control and I attack and eat anything meaty I can get my claws on. I wouldn’t want to…”

Emily’s tears had seemingly dried up a bit. She was nodding eagerly at Lena.

“…Why do you look so happy about that?”

“You could feed from me. I’d let you.”

“Emily, our bites are toxic to humans. They kill them and cause ‘em to come back as new vampires.”

Emily nodded again.

Lena dragged a hand down her face. “I am _not_ converting my girlfriend. Trust me, this existence is a living hell.”

“My current existence isn’t much better,” Emily muttered.

“You should convert her!” Hana said. “Then she could come live here with the rest of us.”

“No bloody way.”

“So that’s it, then?” Emily’s eyes darkened. “You call me up after two years of me thinkin’ you were dead just to tell me we can’t be together?”

“This is exactly _why_ I let you think that, love. I figured it was better than knowing we just can’t be together anymore. It hurt less.”

“For _you!_ ” Emily shook her phone. “Not for the one who’s been visiting your empty grave for two years!”

Whatever Lena had been about to say dried up before it could pass her lips. Emily was just staring at her, a look of utter distraught on her face.

“…God, Em. You’re right. I was being selfish.”

“I want to at least _visit_ you, Lena.” Emily’s distraught changed to a stern look instead. “I’m going to. Can’t be hard to find a huge vampire mansion in the middle of Annecy–”

“I’m not even there. We’re in Switzerland right now.”

“Switzerland? What, do you go on vacations with these creeps?”

“Hey, we’re not creeps,” Hana interjected.

“When are you gonna be back there?” Emily persisted. “I can’t afford a plane ticket but you better damn well believe I’m gonna get there. I’ll train hop, or fucking hitchhike if I have to.”

“I don’t know. Amélie said we’re probably gonna head back earlier than we planned, but–”

“Who’s Amélie?”

“Oh, the – the Huntress.”

“Oh, gotcha. So she’s just ‘Amélie’ now, huh?”

“It’s–”

“Lena Oxton, you are so fucking whipped.”

“Th-no! I’m not!”

To Fareeha’s, and seemingly Lena’s, surprise, Emily actually smirked. “You’re still the exact same girl I fell in love with. Just now you look like you came out of a cheesy old monster movie.”

Lena tittered, a tiny smile creeping onto her face as well. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Lena. So when can I come by? How about 3 days from now, is that good?”

Snapped back to reality, Lena’s smile faded. “How about…four?”

“What does one extra day matter? I’m dying to see you!”

“Fine, fine! Three days. Well, nights, since I sleep during the day now.”

“Right. Okay.” Emily wore a small, triumphant smile. “I’ll be there, Lena. And the second I see you I’m gonna smother you in kisses, so you best be ready for that.”

Lena tapped her fingertips together shyly. “…I like kisses.”

Both women were smiling then, and for the first time since Fareeha had met her Lena seemed to have a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“I can’t _wait_ to see you again,” Emily whispered, her voice rife with emotion.

“I’m…nervous about you comin’ here, I won’t lie.” Lena reached out and laid a fingertip on Emily’s likeness. “But, fuck, I miss you. I’m glad Fareeha pushed me into callin’ you.”

“Yeah, she’s smart. You should listen to her more often.”

Fareeha shrugged and gave a bashful little chuckle.

“Well, we should keep walkin’,” Lena said at last. “We gotta get back to the hotel. But once we’re back, do you want to talk some more?”

“Um, _obviously?_ I need to get caught up on all these new people and things in your life!”

“Of course. I’ll call ya the minute I’m back at the hotel.”

“You better, Miss Oxton.”

Lena blew her a kiss. Emily returned the gesture. They were both grinning like fools when they finally disconnected.

Fareeha crossed her arms and gave Lena a sly smile. “Wow, you weren’t kidding about her being pushy. Seems like she adores you, though.”

Lena covered her mouth with both hands, then jumped up and threw both hands in the air. As she did so a pair of tawny wings shot out behind her, flapping delightedly.

“Whoa.” Fareeha stepped in front of her, blocking her from street view. “Let’s get back to the hotel first. _Then_ you can fly around like a lovestruck sparrow.”

“Heh.” She pulled her wings back in. “Well come on, then!”

Lena took off at practically a run down the street. Fareeha followed just quickly enough to bridge the gap between her and Satya and Hana, who were doing their best to keep up with the shrimpy little vampiress who was running on nothing but pure gay adrenaline.

* * *

 

“You gotta admit, they’re pretty cool.”

Hana glanced into Lena’s room as she walked past it. Lena was perched on top of a high bookshelf, her wings out behind her like a gargoyle.

 _“They are pretty nice,”_ the woman in the phone said _. “Once you convert me we can fly off into the sunset together.”_

“Okay, one, not happenin’. And two, we’d be burnt to cinders before we even got close to the sunset.”

_“Oh, right. You know though, I think the whole ‘no sun’ thing would actually be pretty nice. No more havin’ to wear my weight in sunblock every time my ginger arse so much as steps outside in the daytime.”_

Hana continued past Lena’s room. _Even she can fly._

Jamie was hanging out in her room when Hana got there. “Oh, hey,” she said, giving him a small finger wave.

He was sitting on the sofa with his chin rested on his organic hand. When Hana spoke he turned to her, seemingly stirred from his thoughts.

“Hey,” he said back. The usual spunkiness in his voice was tapered.

Hana sat down beside him. “You okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” He folded his bony arms and leaned his head back, staring up at the ceiling.

“Are you sad about what Dr. Ziegler told us?”

“Nah. I don’t really give a shit about that.” He pulled his organic leg up onto the couch and settled his hand on it. “I just been thinkin’ about the old days. I miss my buddy Roadhog. He never said much, but he was always there for me, gettin’ us outta all the trouble I’d start.”

Most everyone had been acting strange since Lena had started flitting about, chattering away to Emily. Hana and Satya were the only two who hadn’t retreated immediately to their room upon arriving back at the hotel. She guessed that it was making everyone else think back on the people they’d left behind.

Hana rested a hand on his organic arm. “Maybe you could contact him?”

Jamison chuckled mirthlessly. “Yeah, with what? We ain’t got cell phones or nothin’. We came from a bloody wasteland.” He sighed, his long, slender fangs poking out from beneath his frowning lips. “I ain’t got the foggiest idea where he’d be at these days.”

“Sorry, Jamie.”

Jamison waved off her sympathy. He didn’t resist, however, when Hana laid her head on his shoulder. In fact, he leaned into her as well.

“So, uh,” he said after a long silence, “your friend Amélie…does she always talk like a bloody madwoman?”

Hana sat up a little. “What do you mean?”

“I mean like, on the ride back here she was mutterin’ all sorts’a crazy shit. I didn’t catch most of it, but at one point she started laughin’…then she was cryin’...I pretended I didn’t notice, but, uh…it was weird.”

“That is weird. Should we ask her about it?”

“Pah, you wanna be the one to ask that terrifyin’ lady ‘Hey, just wonderin’, uh, are you insane?’”

“…Good point.”

“She scares me, Hana.” Jamison rubbed the back of his neck. “And not just ‘cause of what she did to me. I got a real bad feelin’ from her when we were in the car together earlier. I’ve dealt with a lotta nutty people in my life, but this felt…wrong, somehow.”

“Maybe we should just talk to her without mentioning it. See if she’s okay.”

“Sorry, Hana, but I really don’t wanna talk to her. You can if ya want, but…”

Hana mulled it over. “To be honest, I’m a little intimidated by her, too. Maybe I should ask Saty– no. She worries enough.”

“Guess we can just keep an eye on it ourselves. If things start to get too weird…”

Hana nodded. “I guess that’s what we’ll do, then.”

“Right. Okay.”

Hana leaned back into him again. Jamison wrapped an arm around her. They stayed quiet after that, the only audible sounds around them Lena’s muffled voice and the ambience of traffic on the crowded streets below.

 

 


	10. Demonology and Heartache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Please be sure to go back to Chapter 9 and ensure you read the complete version, as the first day it was posted I didn’t realize AO3 had only posted roughly the first 25% of the chapter! Basically if you didn’t read any of the phone call between Lena and Emily then you’re behind!

 

Nobody had much of a heart for adventuring after the visit to Dr. Ziegler. Amélie seemed eager to get back home, so much so that she checked them out of the hotel the very next night.

Jamie had definitely been right – she was acting weird. She was talkative and expressive, unlike Hana had ever seen her before. At one point during their trek through the airport Fareeha had made a stupid joke about their early-evening flight counting as a “red-eye” for them, and Amélie threw her head back and laughed like she had never heard anything so funny before.

“Hey, Lena?” Hana decided to say while they were moving through the crowded airport.

Several seconds later Lena lifted her eyes from her phone screen, wearing a tiny smile. “Sorry, what?”

“Have you noticed anything up with Amélie lately?”

Lena’s eyes slid back to her screen. “I haven’t really noticed anythin’–” She burst out laughing at something. Her fingers flew over the screen keyboard, Hana’s question forgotten.

Jamison glanced over at her. Hana could only frown and shrug in response.

Satya was holding Hana’s hand, but her attention was all with Fareeha. Ever since the visit to Dr. Ziegler’s office she had been doting on Fareeha, coddling her. Hana knew why. She could feel the guilt radiating from all of Satya’s actions.

_Nobody is paying attention to Amélie._ Any other time her radical shift in behavior would definitely have been noticed, at least by Lena. But now everyone was wrapped up with their mates, leaving Amélie the odd vampiress out. _Nobody here really cares about her._

She wondered if Amélie could feel that.

The boarding of the plane was a lot less painful this time, but Amélie skipped right over hypnotizing the pilot. Instead she simply dropped into one of the sofas, spread her feet out on the far armrest, and gazed up at the ceiling.

Satya clearly expected that herself and Hana were going to sit together again, but Hana told her she needed a minute.

“ _Is everything all right?_ ” Satya asked her in Hindi.

Hana nodded. “ _Just wanted to talk to…her…for a minute._ ” Recalling how it had garnered Fareeha’s attention, she purposely avoided using Amélie’s name.

Satya raised an eyebrow, but didn’t press.

There was no room on Amélie’s sofa, so Hana sat on the one opposite her instead. “Heya, Amélie.” She tried to keep her voice low, even though every vampire in the tiny jet could surely hear her.

Amélie turned her golden eyes on her. “Hello, Hana dear. Is there something you wish of me?”

“Um, no, not really. Just, uh…”

Amélie’s eyes searched hers. She smiled just a little. “What? Are you afraid to talk to me?”

“No, no. I just…I mean, you seem…happy?”

At that, Amélie’s smile grew. “Oh, I am. In fact I can’t remember the last time I was in such good spirits.”

“Any reason why?”

Amélie folded one leg over the other and idly shook her foot. “I can feel again! Should I not be happy about this?”

“Wait, you can feel again? How?”

“One of Dr. Ziegler’s tricks. She really is quite amazing. And those powers of hers…” She chuckled, her exposed fangs glittering in the light. “All she had to do was trade her humanity for such incredible power? I think she got the better end of the bargain, personally.”

“She didn’t seem very happy with it.”

“Well, perhaps she simply hasn’t been utilizing her power to its fullest potential.”

“Um, yeah. Maybe.” Hana glanced over at Satya, who thankfully caught her eye. “Okay, I’m gonna – I’m gonna go back to Satya now.”

“Wait.”

Hana stopped. Amélie sat up a bit, looking her over with those sharp hunter’s eyes. “Why did you want to speak with me? Just to ask why I was happy?”

“Well, you were just acting different, so, um. Yes?”

Amélie rested her chin on her knuckles. “It is good to be suspicious of any changes in the people around you. That will keep you alive.”

Hana swallowed. “…Right.”

Amélie laughed as Hana all but ran back to Satya.

The rest of the flight was quiet. Hana rested on Satya’s shoulder, thoughts adrift. Fareeha stared out the window. Lena giggled to herself occasionally. Jamison went to sleep. Amélie continued to stare up at the ceiling, a tiny smile on her face.

Hana just couldn’t shake the feeling of wrongness that Jamison had first mentioned. It darkened the entire trip.

~~

“Ah, it is so nice to be home!” Amélie reached out to a dying rosebush in the mansion’s gardens. “I’ve really been letting this place go. Remind me to work on that…”

Gabriel was at the gate to let them in. Amélie grabbed his face and planted a kiss on both cheeks of his mask. “Hello, my dear Gabriel! I trust you’ve been well while we were gone?”

Gabriel stared at her through the unyielding black eyeholes of his mask. “Everything was fine.”

“Wonderful! I knew I could trust you to keep things in order.” She strode to the front doors, her heeled boots clicking purposefully down the stone walkway.

Gabriel turned to the rest of them, though there was no way to tell who exactly he was looking at. “So. Sounds like it was a successful trip.”

“Not…really,” Fareeha said. “Dr. Ziegler said synthetic blood can’t satisfy vampiric hunger.”

“Oh, who _cares_ about that?” Amélie waved her off. “Dr. Ziegler’s abilities are incredible. And she was merely a human when she gained them…imagine a vampiress with such power!”

“Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen,” Fareeha murmured.

Amélie laughed.

It was nice to return to the mansion after being so constantly surrounded by humans. As soon as they were back on the property Hana let her wings out and stretched them, alleviating the terrible cramp she’d developed from crushing them against her back for days.

“I am going to take a bath,” Satya announced. “Being around so many humans has left me feeling rather filthy.”

“Me too.” Hana trailed after her.

“Wait,” Fareeha followed them. “Aren’t the bathrooms on the other side of the…”

“Why would we need the bathrooms?” Hana made a face. “We’re vampires.”

“…What?”

Hana and Satya continued off outside. Fareeha uncertainly pursued them.

“Uh,” Hana whispered to Satya, “why is Fareeha coming? Is she gonna take a bath with us?”

“I am…uncertain.”

They stepped out into the garden, where the river the mansion sat upon wound through at the far end. Hana turned to find Fareeha still hesitantly following them.

“Where are you guys going?” she finally asked.

“To take a bath?” Hana folded her arms. “I guess you can join us if you want, but that seems kinda awkward. I guess if you turn around or something…”

“You’re gonna bathe in the river?” Fareeha jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “You do realize there are bathtubs in the mansion, right?”

“This is what we are accustomed to,” Satya said. “We have been through so many novel experiences in the past few days. You are welcome to join us if you wish, but…”

“Uhh…I think I’m good.” Fareeha backed off. “I’ll just take a shower.”

“Very well. I will see you later, then.”

The moment Fareeha was gone Hana dove into the river. The water was freezing cold, but it didn’t affect her much. She submerged herself, letting her clothes soak up as much water as possible. Once they were saturated she slipped out of them, pulling her shirt over her head and wringing it out before laying it on the riverbank. She then did the same with her shorts.

Satya sat on the riverbank at first, splashing the icy water over her feet. “The human shower _was_ quite nice,” she said. “The water’s temperature and intensity could be controlled. I made it warm, and it was rather relaxing. So relaxing, in fact, that I, er…failed to maintain my human form around poor Fareeha.”

Hana giggled. “Oh no! Was she scared?”

“Not…exactly. No.”

“Wait, you mean she _liked_ it?” Hana was grinning by then.

“That is all I shall say about this topic.”

“That’s so funny! I mean, Jamie and I get a little bitey and snarly, but I’ve never gone full vampire on him.”

“I would take caution with that. You are likely to snap that twiggy boy in half if you do.”

They both got a laugh out of that.

Hana dunked her head into the water, flipped her hair over and started working her fingers through it. “Maybe I’ll try the human shower sometime. But not tonight.”

“Agreed. It has been a stressful enough past few days already.”

Satya pulled her old dress off over her head, exposing the entirety of her brown-grey flesh. She still bore the bite marks that Hana had come to realize must have been from Fareeha, as well as old scars from skirmishes they’d had with humans and other vampires in the past. She even had ancient, tiny bite marks from Hana’s teething phase. Her body was like a mural of everything they had ever been through together.

Hana looked down at her own milky, ashen flesh. She, of course, bore scars as well. In addition to the bite mark on her neck that claimed her as Satya’s, her body was forever marred by the illness she had borne as a human infant. Pock marks and discolorations covered her from head to toe. A permanent reminder of her origins.

Satya slipped into the water a stretch away from Hana. She, too, began washing by first grooming her hair, flipping it upside down in exactly the same way Hana did. It only made sense considering Satya had taught her everything, including hygiene habits.

Pulling her hair out of the chilly water, Hana said, “Hey, Saty?”

Satya immediately halted her washing. “Yes?”

She debated asking the question she genuinely wanted to ask. _I don’t want to worry her. But if I can’t talk to the person I trust the most in the whole world then who **can** I talk to?_

“Do you think Amélie’s been acting weird?”

Satya flipped her hair back and locked Hana with those intense red eyes of hers. “So you have noticed as well.”

“She said Dr. Ziegler helped her feel emotions again or something, but she isn’t just acting emotional. It’s like…”

“Alarming.”

“Yeah.”

Satya gave a thoughtful nod. “If we are being wholly honest, I do not feel that Dr. Ziegler is all that good at actually…helping people. Her intentions seem good, but all she leaves in her wake is suffering.”

As always, Satya’s deductions were wise. Hana was glad she asked. “I mean, taking a lady who hadn’t felt any emotion in centuries and just hitting her with all of them at once…it doesn’t seem like a very good idea.”

“No. And I am under the impression that Amélie’s emotional suppression was a way for her to cope with all of the traumas of her past. Her forced conversion from being overpowered by multiple vampires at once…what she did to her husband…and who knows what else she has been through in a thousand years.”

“That’s a lot of time to get hurt.”

“It is.”

They resumed bathing in silence.

When they were nearly finished, ready to grab their wet clothes off the riverbank, Satya said, “Perhaps she will just take some time to work through this.”

“Yeah. Hopefully.”

* * *

 

Fareeha took longer than usual in the shower that night – quite a bit longer, in fact. Time got away from her, as she was deep in thought.

Lena’s girlfriend Emily seemed, for all intents and purposes, pretty normal. She and Lena had had a normal life together prior to Lena’s conversion. They appeared to be about the same age, they sounded like they were both born and raised in England. Both of them could function seamlessly in a human-dominated society.

Meanwhile the woman Fareeha had most recently slept with was outside bathing naked in a river.

_Do I really have any place in their life?_ Satya was over two hundred years old, and Hana wasn’t far behind her. They had two centuries of shared experiences gluing their bond together. Did Fareeha really have any chance of just jumping into the middle of that and trying to fit in?

Apparently she did, at least to some extent, because sometime into her lengthy shower a hand tapped on the curtain. “Fareeha?”

Fareeha’s head snapped up from the water stream. “Oh, uh, what?”

“I think your human shower may have spoiled me,” Satya replied. “Bathing in late-fall freezing river water simply does not hold the same appeal that it used to.”

Feeling a bit shy for no rational reason, Fareeha nudged the curtain open just the slightest bit. She gasped at the sight of Satya standing starkly naked in the middle of the bathroom. A trail of water droplets led from her feet all the way out the bathroom door.

“Did-did you just walk through the mansion buck naked?”

“ _Yes, she did,”_ Sombra’s voice echoed from the hallway outside. “ _And for the record I’m not at all opposed to it._ ”

“I prefer not to wear my dress when it is wet. It is uncomfortable.”

“So…you…just…” Fareeha caught herself before her eyes could drift too low. “…Okay.”

Satya snickered behind a hand. “You are very self-conscious, Fareeha. There is no need to be. We are all just animals.”

“…Right.” Fareeha coughed and looked away. “So did you want to use the shower? Or…?”

“I suppose. I enjoyed the warmth of it.”

At that Fareeha perked up. “Wait a minute. Amélie has a hot tub. You want to maybe try that instead?”

Satya quirked a brow. “What is a ‘hot tub’?”

“Oh, you’ll love it. If you liked a simple shower…” She shut the water off and wrung her hair out. “Let me just throw on a robe or something – I’m not walking around this place in the nude.”

“A shame to cover such a flawless form,” Satya murmured as Fareeha shrugged on one of Amélie’s borrowed bathrobes.

“Here. Put this on.” Fareeha grabbed a wrinkled t-shirt out of her duffel bag and handed it to Satya. Satya frowned at it, but put it on anyway. It was just long enough to cover her nether regions.

She pulled the shirt out in front of her and examined it. “What does ‘AC-slash-DC’ mean?”

Fareeha couldn’t help but giggle at how cute Satya looked, utterly perplexed in Fareeha’s oversized old t-shirt. “It’s a band.”

Satya studied it closer. “ _’For Those About To Rock’._ ”

“I don’t care how many times _Back in Black_ went platinum. _That’s_ their best album.”

Satya continued to stare at it. “I have much to learn, it seems.”

Fareeha hesitated. “I mean, you don’t have to bother learning all that kind of stuff.”

“But you are my mate. I wish to learn of all the human things you enjoy.”

If Fareeha was still alive and with a functional bloodstream, she knew she would surely have blushed then. “…You consider me your mate?”

“You do not?”

“No, I – I do. I guess. I mean, I’d like that…”

“Then, as I was saying, you are my mate. As I intend to teach you the vampiric way, so I anticipate you teaching me of your human interests and culture in turn.”

Fareeha looked Satya over. “You don’t think we have too much of a gap there? You think we can really work as a couple?”

“I would surely like to try.”

That brought a smile to Fareeha’s face. Leaning down, she pecked Satya on the lips. Satya wrapped her arms around Fareeha’s waist and pulled her in for a proper kiss.

When finally they pulled apart, Fareeha’s smile had become a grin. “C’mon,” she said as she took Satya by the hand and tugged her toward the door, “let me show you that hot tub.”

* * *

 

A couple of days passed, and Hana started to forget, or at least put aside, her concerns about Amélie’s behavior. In fact she’d barely even seen the old vampiress since they’d arrived back home.

She and Jamison busied themselves attempting to master flight from the roof of the mansion. Unfortunately Jamison’s wings were even more deformed than Hana’s. One had grown out to a decent size, but was gnarled and bent in places. The other was little more than a sad nub with some skin drooping off of it.

“Maybe together we can get somewhere.” Hana spread her own wings and gave them a few test flaps.

“I don’t understand why _you_ can’t fly,” Jamie said, pointing to her wings. “Yours look totally normal. Well, as normal as having wings is…”

“It’s not my wings. It’s my internal balance.” She looked out over the trees surrounding the mansion, letting the light breeze catch her wings. “I can technically fly, but I can’t stay straight. I always end up crashing. Satya thinks that might be why I walk so crooked, too.”

Jamison gave his wings a tentative little flap. The larger one moved; the smaller one just sort of quivered. “I’m not so sure about this,” he mumbled. “Kinda think we’re gonna fall and bust our junk on the pavement.”

“Eh, I’ve fallen out of the sky a million times. My junk is still intact.”

“Yours is on the inside…”

“It’ll be fine!” She took his hand and pulled him toward the ledge. “Let’s try it!”

Five seconds later they crashed to the ground in a heap.

“Argh!” Jamison clutched his shorts. “My junk!”

“Oof. Mine too.” Hana rolled onto her back and groaned. “If my eggs weren’t dead before, they are now.”

“Oh my! Are you kids all right?”

Hana sat up. Gazing down at them with pursed lips was Amélie. She was wearing a green apron with hedge clippers, a tiny handheld shovel, and a pair of scissors tucked in little pockets on the front, and her hair was tied back in a sloppy ponytail. In her gloved hands she clutched a fistful of assorted plants.

“Yeah, we’re okay.” Hana brushed herself off. “Just doing some flying practice.”

“Ah. You cannot fly.”

“Satya says I have a disability.”

Jamison shrugged. “I just been livin’ in a radioactive wasteland all my life.”

Amélie held out a hand to help them up. Both refused, and got to their feet on their own. Seemingly unfazed by the snub, Amélie said, “You know, I would be willing to take you for a flight.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Satya usually–”

Amélie took her apron off and draped it on a bush, setting her fistful of picked plants down atop it. Then, with a sweeping spread of her arms, two gigantic, swan-white wings burst from her back. “I am _much_ more powerful than Satya.”

She reached out and grabbed Hana by the arm. “Please, I insist!”

Afraid to refuse her, Hana swallowed and gave a tiny nod. “Okay.”

“Excellent!” She wrapped one arm around Hana’s waist and the other around Jamison’s. Then, with a mighty wingbeat, she took off straight into the night sky.

_Geez, she’s strong enough to carry **both** of us?_ Hana clung to the old vampiress as she cleared the roof of the mansion and circled high over the backyard.

Amélie chuckled, just audible over the wind in Hana’s ears. “Look down.”

Hana did as she said. Immediately she spotted Satya and Fareeha on a lawn chair far below. They were so engrossed in devouring each other’s faces that they didn’t even notice the trio flying overhead.

“Eww.” Hana stuck out her tongue. “I don’t want to see that.”

“Aw, but they are in love. It is sweet.” Amélie smiled a little. “You don’t know how much I would give to have that back.”

Hana frowned. “I’m sure you could find a mate if you put yourself out there. Maybe just hunt down a truck-driving lesbian.”

At that Amélie laughed. She angled her wings upward, taking them even higher into the clouds. “Oh, I will have it soon.”

“The lesbian?”

“ _No._ The mate.”

“Gonna get into the dating scene?” Jamison’s eyes immediately widened, as if suddenly realizing who he was joking with.

Amélie’s massive wings beat again, sending a rush of cold air over Hana and Jamison.

“I am going to get my Gérard back.”

She suddenly flipped in mid-air, startling both younger vampires. She then landed on the roof by the pool. A few vampires turned to glance at her, then returned to their socializing.

“How are you gonna get him back?” Hana dared to ask.

Amélie strode over to the ledge and gazed out over her dominion. “I am going to summon him.”

Hana’s eyes widened. “Dr. Ziegler said that wasn’t a good idea–”

“Dr. Ziegler is a fool.” Her tone went cold. “All that power…wasted on _mortals_. _”_

“But Gérard is mortal, too.”

“He won’t be.” She pulled the two of them to their feet. “Once I awaken him he will remain at my side forever, as it was meant to be when we were wed. All I need for that is an offering…from the _heart._ ”

“Uhh…” Jamison scratched his head. “That sounds…”

Amélie’s expression changed. She smiled sweetly at the two of them. “Oh, worry not, little ones. I would never hurt _you_.”

She leaned in and planted a kiss on Hana’s forehead. Her icy lips left a scarlet residue that Hana discreetly wiped off. She ignored Jamison.

“Keep this between us, okay?” Amélie whispered. “I have my plans already, but your sire would make an excellent vessel as well. A nice, empty shell.”

Hana’s breath caught in her throat. She stared, dumbfounded, at the woman before her. Amélie maintained her smile, and in fact widened it a bit, unsheathing her long, viper-like fangs. Her eyes held an unnatural gleam as she fixed them on Hana. Though Hana had never seen anything like it before, she could identify it. The eyes of a woman gone mad.

Hana shuddered, but found herself too frightened to look away. “O-okay.”

“Good girl.”

Amélie fanned her wings out once more, then dove off the roof. She caught a draft and angled herself back toward the garden, gradually disappearing into its underbrush.

Jamison looked Hana over. It took a while, but finally she managed to meet his gaze.

“We’re in trouble, aren’t we,” he said.

“We need to get out of here. Amélie’s lost it.” She turned and hurried for the door to the stairs. “She’s talking about a ‘vessel’…sounds like she means a body…but who–”

She froze mid-step. Jamison slid his eyes over to her.

_Oh no._

* * *

 

“You’re really willin’ to take such a long ride for me?”

“’Course! It’s only 13 hours…plus the time changing trains. I’m gonna nap on the ride so I can be wide awake to see ya!”

Lena grinned. “You really are the pushiest woman I ever met.”

“I gotta be pushy enough for the two of us!”

Lena blew her a kiss. “See ya soon, babe.”

“See ya, luv.”

As soon as she hung up the phone Lena picked up on an unusual sound somewhere nearby. She couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, nor where it was coming from, but it sounded like something…squishing.

She paused in front of the basement door. The odd noise was coming from down there. She could also hear what sounded like someone singing. Upon pressing her ear to the door, she realized it was Amélie’s voice.

The door was unlocked. Lena popped it open. “Amélie?”

“Come down, dear!” her sire called from below.

As Lena descended the stairs, Amélie continued her singing.

“ _Tournent tournent, les aiguilles de l'horloge…les mariés dansent encore...Et c'est la mort, Qui brille dans mes yeux pâles…Adieu, mon bel amour…_ ”

“What the heck are you doing down here?” Lena stepped down onto the cement floor. Immediately she was assailed with the coppery stench of blood.

Her eyes locked on to her sire.

Amélie was crouched over one of the feeder humans. In one hand she held a garden trowel – and she was pushing it into the human’s chest as the human screamed into a forcibly-closed mouth.

“Amélie, what the–?!” Lena gagged and staggered backward. “What are you doing?!”

Amélie reached a bloody hand into the hole she’d carved in the live human. With one mighty yank she tore a part of them clean out. In the low light Lena just made out a shiny, slimy thing gripped between her fingers. It pulsed in her hand a few times, leaking blood all over the floor before quivering and slowing to a halt.

The human gagged and gasped, then collapsed to the table, unmoving.

Amélie carelessly tossed the heart into a metal bucket at her feet. It landed with a wet _squelch_ , sounding as though it had settled atop other, equally-moist things inside the bucket.

“I am preparing my offering,” Amélie replied, as if it were as normal as talking about the weather. “Plants are lovely, but Gérard deserves better than just a few dying flowers.”

“Gérard?” Lena couldn’t bring herself to look into the bucket. All around she began to notice the humans’ chests were split open, just like the first one. “Why did you do this to these innocent humans?? I thought they were more valuable to you alive!”

“We won’t be needing them any longer.” Her eyes sparkled in the dark. Lena noticed there seemed to be a strange, ethereal sort of aura radiating from them. It almost looked like smoke.  “Things are going to go back to the way they were!”

“Amélie…” Lena took a few cautious steps toward her. “Are you all right? You’re lookin’ a little…”

Amélie grabbed her arm. Pulling her in close, she whispered, “I have never been better, _chérie_.”

Despite her wiry frame, Amélie possessed an inhuman level of strength. With ease she pushed Lena down onto an empty table. “What are you doing?!” Lena fought and writhed as Amélie strapped her down, still humming.

“Shh.” Amélie ran a blood-soaked hand through Lena’s hair. “Sh-sh-sh.” She then dragged her fingers across Lena’s lips. “This will only hurt for a moment, my dear.”

“Huh? Amélie, what are you – _argh!_ ”

Amélie jabbed a sharpened kitchen knife into the softest area of Lena’s stomach.

“Agh! S-stop, I – _arghh_!”

“I only need to wound you enough to transform you,” Amélie said, her voice calm. “You can expedite the process as well.”

An inhuman anger boiled up inside Lena. She snarled, baring her teeth at Amélie. “St-st…no…” Her vocal chords thickened, preventing human speech.

“That’s a good girl. I need you nice and…uninhibited. The ‘real’ Lena would never comply with what I need you to do.”

She twisted the knife inside Lena’s gut. Lena snapped her jaws at Amélie, though she could not come close to reaching her.

“Can you still understand me?” Amélie asked.

Lena strained to bark out a coherent response. “Rrwh…yr…Ah…meh…lee…”

Amélie frowned. “Still sentient, hm.”

Lena howled as Amélie pulled the knife from her gut, and instead brought it to her throat. “This will not kill you. But it should trigger a frenzy.”

She pulled the blade across the flesh of Lena’s throat. Black, viscous blood oozed out over her pale flesh. It bubbled as Lena tried to scream, but could not fill her lungs to do so.

Something primal took hold within her then. All was a blur as she fought her restraints with renewed vigor. _Hungry. Need blood. Need energy…_

The woman in front of her said something, but it sounded like gibberish. _Hungry…so…hungry…_

The woman reached into a bucket and pulled out a fresh, still-bloody human heart. She held it in front of Lena’s face, wafting it just under her nose.

Lena’s fangs snapped down on it like a bear trap. In mere seconds she was tearing it apart, barely even chewing before swallowing the bloody mush.

The woman smiled. Then offered her another.

The more Lena fed, the more she noticed that the room around her was changing. Suddenly the other tables were gone. Shadows crept up the walls, and where they crawled they left behind a scene utterly transformed.

The woman raised a hand and began to utter something. The shadows washed over Lena, changing her physically. It was of little concern to her at that moment – she could think only of feeding, of restoring her wounded body. And the vampiress before her was happy to provide.

The more she ate, the more she regained her humanity – but the fog in her head strangely did not clear.

When Amélie next spoke, Lena understood it. “Everything will be as it was. The happy ending we never got to have…”

The shadows all but drowned Lena, burying her thoughts under a sea of murk. All that was clear to her were the words of her sire.

She gurgled weakly. Amélie chuckled, and Lena noticed her eyes were glazed over, with no pupils or irises visible. “Do not worry, my love. You will recover your strength in time. And we will have so much to do! We simply _must_ hold another of our world-famous parties–”

_“Lena?”_

Amélie stopped. A small, high-pitched voice accompanied light footsteps just upstairs. “ _Lena? Are you here? It’s kind of important…_ ”

“Hm.” Amélie clicked her tongue. “Guests before we have even started planning the party? That will not do.”

Lena could only watch in silence as the shadows coalesced around Amélie, transforming her into a nightmarish creature of darkness. She raised her arms, and a thick, all-consuming darkness spilled out in all directions, crawling the walls and spreading up to the rest of the mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The song Amélie was singing](https://youtu.be/TY0IiTT_C7o)


	11. The Devil's Rejects

“Hana, you should have come to me sooner.”

“I know. I was scared.” Hana swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Amélie said that if I told you anything, she’d hurt you.”

Satya’s eyes narrowed. “Did she now?”

The two of them strode down the hallway. “You can’t confront her, though.” Hana limped after her. “Please, Satya. She’ll hurt you!”

“I should like to see that dusty old hag try.”

The moment Hana had disclosed her distrust of Amélie Satya had immediately turned on the old vampiress. Satya had wanted to leave, but Hana couldn’t bring herself to abandon Lena, who seemed the most clearly endangered by Amélie’s descent into madness.

“She wasn’t like this before,” Hana murmured. “She was nice to me. To us. She wanted to protect us in case Dr. Ziegler was dangerous, and she gave us those ear thingies on the plane both ways. Something changed. I feel bad.”

“Whatever has befallen her, it is not our responsibility to endure it.”

“I know, but still…”

They paused at a noise coming from downstairs. It sounded like growling. “What is going on down there?” Satya crouched and planted an ear to the floor. Hana followed suit.

Beyond the growling they heard a voice. Amélie’s voice. _Before we can have a party,_ her words drifted up to them, _we need decorations!_

Hana raised her head. “Is that Lena she’s with?”

“I don’t know. But we should not–”

The walls around them transformed. A dark energy, like fluid shadow, crawled up their surface, changing them into ancient-looking stone.

Hana turned to Satya. “What’s this??”

Satya leaned in and gave it a sniff. “This is the same scent as Dr. Ziegler’s dark magic. Perhaps this is what Amélie was discussing with– _?!_ ”

Her words were choked off as the dark magic welled up her feet and legs, up to her chest, squeezing the air out of her lungs. “Satya!” Hana immediately leapt for her. The darkness spread across the floor, racing toward her own feet.

“No!” Satya swung a clawed hand at Hana, knocking her back. Her arm froze in place before she could withdraw it again. She fanned her wings out in a desperate attempt to break away, but the energy engulfed them as well, petrifying them like the blackest marble.

“Hana,” she gasped, “run!”

Hana staggered backward, tears threatening her vision. The darkness was rippling across the floor like a flood, and it was coming right for her.

The last thing she saw when she dared to look back was Satya being overtaken by the powerful magic. Her eyes locked with Hana’s, and then froze that way. When the darkness hardened around her she looked like she had never been anything but a disturbingly-detailed statue.

Someone in a nearby room screamed. Hana bounded down the hall, toward the stairs – but before she could get to them more thick, viscous fluid began to drip from the ceiling.

A door behind her flew open. A young vampire winged out of the room, practically knocking Hana over. Despite his agility, a string of ooze from the ceiling managed to drop onto one of his wings. Within seconds he crashed to the floor and was swallowed up and petrified by the darkness, just like Satya.

With both ends of the hallway blocked, Hana turned to the rooms on either side of her. She followed the most familiar scent, and pounded on its door.

Never had she been so relieved to see Fareeha’s face. Bolting inside the opened room, Hana slammed the door behind her. “Fareeha!” she cried. “Something terrible is happening!”

Her room, thankfully, appeared untouched. Hana ran to the closet, grabbed Fareeha’s sleep pants, and stuffed them under the crack in the door.

“What’s going on?” Fareeha, growing more accustomed to her vampiric existence, immediately started sniffing the air. “What’s that…”

They hesitated at a noise by the doorway. Something dripping.

“It’s right outside,” Hana stammered. “We can’t trap ourselves in like this.” Her eyes widened as she locked on to the far wall. “The window!”

Fareeha asked no further questions. The window was ancient and stuck shut from many years without movement, but with one determined push Fareeha managed to muscle it open. “Wait,” she said. “We’re on the second floor. And neither of us can fly.”

Suddenly a part of the ceiling gave way, dumping a river of black liquid into Fareeha’s room.

Hana crawled through the window until her upper half was outside. “I’m just gonna jump!”

“What?? You can’t do that, you’ll–”

Hana flung herself out the window. Her wings shot out, but as usual could do little more than vaguely guide her fall. She closed her eyes and braced for impact – but it never came. A pair of arms, stronger and meatier than Satya’s, grabbed her around the waist. “I have no idea what I’m doing, just so you know!” Fareeha shouted. Her wings, far too small to carry even herself, were just helping them along enough to avoid smashing face-first into the pavement.

They landed in a heap not far from the mansion. Just moments later the dark energy spilled out the window and started spreading out over the ill-tended lawn. “Don’t let it touch you!” Hana was on her feet in an instant, dragging Fareeha away.

Everywhere the magic touched was transformed. The grass sprouted up into wildflowers of unnatural, nauseating shades of neon green, purple, red, and pink. The mansion’s outer walls sprouted thorned vines of inky black. The mansion itself, Hana noticed, had changed to resemble more of a castle. The sky just above it swirled with dark clouds, the strange black energy raining down from them.

“What the…?” Fareeha scrambled backward. “What is this?? What’s going on??”

Hana tried to hold herself together, but her voice broke before she could say anything more than “It got Satya!”

“What is it?” Fareeha swept an arm out and herded Hana closer to the outer fence. It seemed the energy was mainly collecting around the house itself – though there were storm clouds over the garden as well.

“It’s Amélie, she’s – she was trying to, like, summon her dead husband…I don’t know what’s happening now…”

“What happened to Satya?” Fareeha’s words were cautious and tempered, but Hana could hear the underlying worry beneath that façade.

“It t-turned her to stone! Like a statue!”

Fareeha gazed up at the mansion. “This must be the same kind of dark magic Dr. Ziegler lost her humanity to. Fueled by evil spirits…demons…whatever you want to call them.”

“She was talking about a ‘vessel’ for Gérard.  I think she’s gonna use someone’s body for him or something.”

Fareeha turned to her. “You – you think it’s Satya?”

Hana shook her head. “She mentioned Satya, but said she ‘already had plans’.” Her legs were shaking. She reached out and held on to the old iron fence for support. “I think it’s Lena.”

Fareeha’s whole body froze. With widened eyes she stared blankly forward at the cursed old mansion.

“B-but maybe it isn’t,” Hana backpedaled. “I don’t mean to upset you, I don’t even know if it’s true–”

Fareeha said nothing. She just continued to stare up at the unnatural storm clouds.

“…I’m sorry.”

Fareeha’s hands balled into fists. “Don’t be,” she uttered. “We need to focus on getting somewhere safe first. Then we’re coming back for them. For Satya, for Lena. For everyone else.”

Hana frowned. “What about Amélie?”

Neither of them had to voice an answer for that. Satya’s words echoed in Hana’s mind. _Whatever has befallen her, it is not our responsibility to endure it._

Neither of them had any idea whether or not Amélie _could_ be saved.

* * *

 

Oddly enough, the safest place for the fleeing pair of vampires seemed to be the human part of Annecy. Unfortunately it was a far, far walk from the secluded _Maison de La Chasseresse_ , through the surrounding woods, over the rickety old bridge joining the sides of the wide river, and into the more urban area of the old city.

“She won’t attack us here,” Fareeha whispered, nodding to all the humans hanging around the brightly-lit streets. “Crazy or not, she’d never blow her cover like that. It’d be a death sentence for her.”

There was a small, old-timey restaurant with tables and chairs outside. The restaurant itself was closed, but the tables and chairs were only blocked by a small metal roadblock around them. Fareeha nudged it out of the way, and they took a seat at a table in the shadow of the building.

“So what are we supposed to do?” Hana whispered back. “Just hide from her forever? We have to get Satya back!”

“Trust me. I’m not giving up on her.” Fareeha grabbed a fistful of hair and scrunched it between her fingers. With a sigh, she tried to think of what to do next. “Maybe we should contact Dr. Ziegler?”

“Do you think she could help?”

“Can’t hurt, right?” She reached in her pocket and pulled out her phone. “Let me just look up her number, and – shit, wait a minute.”

“What?”

“…it’s 2am. Her office closes at 11. I don’t have her personal number.”

“Hey, I thought I smelled something.”

Hana and Fareeha’s heads snapped up, immediately on edge. They relaxed slightly – though only slightly – at the sight of Sombra and Gabriel approaching them. They each had a paper cup in their hands, and were sipping through striped plastic straws. For once Gabriel actually didn’t have his mask on, though his face was largely obscured by the hood of a black sweatshirt.

Fareeha gaped. “You guys weren’t at the house?”

They pulled over a couple of chairs and sat down beside Hana and Fareeha. “We were out getting milkshakes,” Sombra said. “Pretty sure the guys who work the graveyard shift at McDonald’s are onto us being vampires, but I guess working at McDonald’s kinda makes you lose your ability to give a shit about anything.”

“Something really bad happened while you were gone,” Hana said.

“Obviously. You were deprived of our presence.”

“Seriously,” Fareeha added, “the mansion’s been taken over by some sort of dark…something.”

Sombra sipped briefly on her milkshake, quirking a brow. “A dark something, huh? Sounds bad.”

“This isn’t a joke, Sombra.” Hana’s uncharacteristically serious tone must have made Sombra realize something was truly wrong. Her usual sly smile faltered a little. “It turned Satya and all the other vampires to stone!”

Fareeha could tell Sombra was biting her lip to keep from making a joke – but the fact that she was refraining at all was surprising. “Do you know what caused it?” was all she said.

“I think it was Amélie. Ever since we met Dr. Ziegler and she showed us all this crazy dark magic she could do… Amélie wanted to use it to bring her husband back to life. I think she wants to summon his spirit into someone else’s body.”

Sombra took another long slurp of her shake. Smacking her lips, she said, “Wow. Who’s gonna be the lucky host?”

“We think it’s Lena.”

“Ah. Of course it’s her. Amélie really has some kinda creepy fixation on her.”

“Wait a minute,” Fareeha cut in, “didn’t she say she thinks Lena is, like, a reincarnation of Gérard?” She folded her hands together on the table and stared down at them. “Maybe it’s not that she’s gonna summon Gérard’s spirit, but that she’s going to try to turn Lena _into_ Gérard.”

“You think that’d be possible?”

“I mean, I gotta say,” Sombra pushed her empty cup away, “I am just absolutely _shocked_ that this thousand-year-old woman who’s been suppressing her emotions for centuries has finally lost her marbles. Who could have guessed something like that would happen?”

“So what are _we_ supposed to do about it?” Gabriel finally spoke up.

Hana buried her face in her hands. Fareeha reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll figure something out. Satya and the others aren’t going anywhere. We just need to regroup and think up a plan.”

“…Kinda want another shake,” Sombra murmured.

“We don’t have time for that.”

“Really? I could have sworn you just implied we have plenty of time.”

“For planning a rescue, not–”

“I can’t plan a rescue when I’m fatigued from hunger!”

“A fucking milkshake isn’t going to satisfy your kind of hunger!”

“Are you dense?” Sombra fished a vial full of blood out of the pocket of her trenchcoat. “We mix it in, _obviously._ ”

Fareeha studied the vial. “We still don’t really have time to…”

“You two want some? Gabe’ll buy.”

“What a surprise,” Gabriel muttered.

Sombra tucked the vial back in her pocket. “C’mon, it’ll be nice for a change. And I think _somebody_ here could use their spirits lifted anyway.” She nodded at Hana, who had her chin in her palms and was staring down at the table’s scratched surface.

Fareeha exhaled. “Okay, fine. Our home’s been taken over by demons and our friend’s been consumed by madness. Let’s go to McDonald’s.”

* * *

 

The young human boy working the counter stared at them the entire time they camped out in the otherwise-empty dining area. With a flick of her wrist Sombra popped open her blood vial and quickly emptied some into each drink, then dropped it back into her pocket. Hana took a hesitant sip of her shake. “Bluh, it’s so cold!” She pulled back, nearly spilling the drink on herself.

“It’s made with ice, smart one.”

“Leave her alone, she’s probably never even been in a restaurant before.” Fareeha took a small sip of her own drink. When she looked to Hana, Hana nodded.

“I wish Satya was here to try it with me.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll rescue her.”

“How? You keep saying that, but we don’t even know what we’re up against.”

Fareeha had no answer for that.

“Well, we have an _idea_ ,” Gabriel murmured. “An ancient vampiress who’s been taken over by evil spirits. Probably with immeasurable power, and definitely with the ability to turn anyone who stands against her to stone.”

“Hey, on second thought maybe we should just, y’know”–Sombra shrugged–“never go back there ever again and like, flee the country and start a new life instead. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Satya would never abandon me,” Hana replied. “I won’t do that to her.”

“Maybe she’s happy as a statue! She gets to just chill all day and night and not worry about anything. I mean, I know I’d _– guh!”_

Hana tightened her clawed fingers around Sombra’s throat and started shaking her. She’d moved so fast Fareeha hadn’t even noticed her going at the other vampiress.

“ _Ack –_ okay I’m sorry! I’ll stop – _argh_ – making jokes–”

Seemingly with great reluctance, Hana stopped choking her.

Sombra adjusted her collar, re-covering her bite mark. “Jeez, Gabe, good to know I could get strangled in front of you and you’d just sit there.”

“You had it coming.”

Two employees were watching them from behind the counter. Fareeha waved them off with a forced laugh.

“Just a little interpersonal choking,” Sombra said. “Nothing you probably don’t see at every McDonald’s at 2am.”

Hana barely touched her drink. In fact when she got up and left the table it was still nearly full. “Hey, where ya going?” Sombra called after her.

“Back to the mansion. I’m not gonna sit around and do nothing while Satya’s trapped in there.”

Fareeha hopped up and followed close behind her. With a sigh, Sombra grabbed her drink and strolled after them. Gabriel followed, the two of them seemingly competing for who could be the most apathetic about hundreds of lives being in grave danger.

* * *

 

“Huh. The route back seems a lot shorter than the route into town.” Fareeha looked around. The mansion was already rising into view just a few short minutes into their trek back.

“Maybe because we didn’t get lost this time?” Hana sniffed the trail. Something about it didn’t smell quite right.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Sombra and Gabriel hung back a bit, observing. Hana glanced back at them, then looked up at the night sky. It was still clouded with dark magic storm clouds, but the familiar comfort of the moon was peeking through a bit, giving them some light. Hana stared up at it for a long while. She’d spent centuries roaming the night, but had never noticed just quite how beautiful it was. Its soft yellow light was mesmerizing.

When finally she pulled her eyes away, everyone else was gone. “Huh?” She spun in a circle. “Fareeha? Where’d you guys go?”

Thinking perhaps they had gone ahead without her, Hana hurried down the path. There wasn’t a trace of any of them – not even a scent. “Sombra? Gabriel?”

She halted at the sight before her. Just in front of the mansion, like a garden decoration, was Satya. Her eyes were still fixed at exactly Hana’s height, her left arm frozen stretched out toward her.

“Satya…” Hana crept up to her. Uncertainly, she reached out and touched her petrified sire. The statue emitted a pheromonal scent that set Hana’s nerves on edge. An alarm pheromone. _She’s scared._

“Don’t be afraid.” Hana took her hand and squeezed it. To her shock, some of the stone encasing Satya broke away. Hana jumped back. “S-Satya?”

Satya’s arm came free as she made a fist, cracking the stone around her. “Yeah!” Hana grabbed her other arm and started pulling at the petrified surface. “You can do it! Break outta there!”

With a roar Satya threw her arms and wings out, shattering the last of her stone prison.

“Satya!” Hana leapt on her. Satya hugged her tight.

“Hana…I was so worried…” She ran a hand through Hana’s hair. Her flesh was bone-chilling.

“I’d never leave you, Satya. I know you’d never leave me…”

“No, I wouldn’t.” She withdrew from Hana. “In fact you are the entire reason I ended up in this predicament to begin with.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Hana lowered her head. “But, I saved Fareeha! We flew out the window–”

“ _You_ flew?”

“Well…no...not really.” She brought her hands together. “We kinda just crashed.”

Satya turned away from her. “That sounds more like what I would expect from you.”

Hana bit her lip. “Okay, I know you’re mad. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in danger–”

“Do not worry, Hana. I have accepted the fact that I will always have to look after you. No matter the cost to myself.”

“Um…okay.” Hana walked around to face her. Satya’s eyes were cold. Callous. “You’re really that mad at me? I didn’t turn you to stone!”

“The only reason I _came_ to this forsaken place was so that I could have some reprieve from constant adult babysitting.” She pointed a claw at Hana. “Nearly two hundred years old and you can’t even take care of yourself. I’ve never seen anything so sad.”

Stunned by her outburst, tears began to pool in Hana’s eyes. “But I – I have a disability,” she said in a small voice.

“As do I!” Her claws settled on her own chest. “I have my own struggles, but I am still expected to care not only for myself, but for a grown woman who acts like a child.”

“I don’t act like a child!”

“You _do!_ I was cheated out of a childhood while you’ve had two centuries of it!”

Hana stared up at her, shaking her head slightly. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “You…you’re not…”

Satya folded her arms. “Go on. Cry about it. Guilt me into looking after you, just as you always have.”

Hana’s fingers closed into a fist. “…You’re not Satya.”

Satya raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

Wiping her tears away, Hana said, “You aren’t her. I trust Satya. I know her. She would _never_ say these things to me.”

Satya snarled, her long, forked tongue lashing the air in front of her. “How dare you! Am I not allowed to be dissatisfied? To be upset with the adult child who nearly got me killed?”

The thing before her looked like Satya, and it smelled like Satya. But it didn’t _feel_ like Satya.

“You’re not real,” she said. “I trust Satya one-hundred percent. You’re probably a – a demon, feeding off my…” Her eyes widened. “…my biggest fear!”

Satya snarled again. “It’s true, isn’t it!” Hana stood up tall, refusing to be intimidated by the monster wearing her best friend’s skin. “I’ll admit it – my biggest fear _is_ that Satya turns on me or leaves me because I’m too much of a burden. You know that, and you’re trying to cash in on it. But you know what?” She forced herself to smile through her tears of distress. “You’re not a convincing actor at all!”

The creature lunged at her. Hana did not move – and “Satya” phased right through her.

It stood up behind her and studied its hands. They were melting away. In fact, the entire world around the two of them appeared to be melting. Hana backed away from the creature. It let out an ungodly screech and reached its dissolving arms out toward her. Safely out of its range, Hana simply watched as the demon was reduced to nothing more than a puddle of inky blackness, which then dissipated into the ground at her feet.

The world around her, the real world, came back into focus. Suddenly Fareeha, Sombra, and Gabriel were all with her again – but none seemed to be paying her any attention. Fareeha was on her knees, staring down at something. Her body was angled away, but Hana could see her shoulders shaking. “Fareeha?”

Fareeha shook her head and mumbled something in what must have been Arabic. Hana reached hesitantly outward and touched one of her shoulders. Fareeha flinched. In English she mumbled, “I…I’m…so…sorry…”

“Fareeha, whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real. It’s–”

“Why did you come here?!” she cried. “I told you to stay away from me! I’m dangerous! To you…to everyone…” She wiped her chin of some imaginary substance, then grabbed at the bare earth with clawed hands. “I’m sorry! I never meant for this to happen!”

“Fareeha!” Hana grabbed her and shook her. “It’s! Not! Real!”

Fareeha uttered a sound of vague confusion, then blinked a few times and took a slow look around. “Huh…what? Wh-where’s…” She looked beyond Hana. “Mother?”

“Your mother’s not here. You didn’t hurt her. It was all an illusion.”

Fareeha’s eyes fell to the barren dirt path. “She was right here…”

“No, she wasn’t. These things must prey on emotions or something. They came to Dr. Ziegler when she was alone and scared after her parents died…and now they’ve found a lady who’s been bottling up her feelings for over a thousand years.”

Fareeha lifted her gaze to the mansion looming in the far distance. Its upper level was now completely obscured by a dark fog. “That felt so real. If that’s what Amélie is up against, all by herself in there…”

Hana turned to their companions. Sombra was curled up in the middle of the pathway, almost child-like in pose. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. Gabriel was crouched down a stretch away from her, a hand shielding most of his face. Fareeha went over and started trying to snap him out of his illusion. Hana knelt over Sombra.

“Hey. Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real.” She reached out and touched Sombra’s arm. Sombra recoiled, and Hana discovered her face was shining with two thin trails of tears. “Sombra?”

Hana glanced over at Fareeha. She seemed to be having better luck with Gabriel – he had uncovered his face and was looking right at Fareeha, as opposed to through or past her.

“Sombra!” Hana tried again to wake her, but Sombra just curled up tighter.

“No!” she cried. “ _¡No me toques!_ ”

Gabriel and Fareeha came over to them. “She isn’t snapping out of it,” Hana said. “She’s not responding to anything I…”

Gabriel reached out and took her by the arm. “ _Olivia._ ”

Sombra’s eyes widened. She started to look around, though it was clear she wasn’t seeing Gabriel, Hana, or Fareeha.

The gnarled grey fingers of Gabriel’s other hand combed their scythe-like claws through Sombra’s hair. “When she told you that I bit her and then she hunted me down,” he murmured, “well, that wasn’t entirely true. She did hunt me down…but it was to _get_ me to bite her.”

Hana and Fareeha exchanged a look. “She… _wanted_ you to bite her?” Fareeha asked.

“She was just a kid. Imagine my surprise scoping out a gang to feed from and finding a nine-year-old with them."

Gabriel’s voice seemed to be having an effect on Sombra. She turned over, searching desperately around her. Gabriel sat down beside her, maintaining physical contact.

“Little punk followed me all the way to the next town. Begged me to bite her so she could ‘live forever’.” He pushed some of her loose hair out of her face. “She was an orphan, and the gang took her in. But they wanted things from her. Disgusting things, things no nine-year-old should even know about. When she told me that…I couldn’t leave her.” He shook his head. “I went back and killed every one of them. Then I took her with me.”

“…Shit.” Fareeha cast a sympathetic frown down at Sombra, who was very, very slowly coming to her senses.

What must have been the moment her true vision returned, she immediately locked on to Gabriel. “Huh? You’re – you’re here?”

“I’ve been here the whole time.”

Sombra’s gaze drifted downward. “I don’t know what happened. It’s like I was back home again.”

“Well, you’re not. It’s the 21st century and you’re in France.”

Sombra looked at him for a long while. Then a grin spread across her face. She sprung up from the ground and grabbed him up in a hug. “Aw Gabe, I shoulda known you’d still be here with me. You love me too much.”

Gabriel sighed.

“So now that that’s over, or hopefully over,” Fareeha gestured to the mansion, “I guess we’re going in there?”

“Oh, uh…” Sombra detached herself from her sire. “You know I actually _just_ remembered I promised someone I’d do…something…for them. Back in town.”

“Really??” Hana planted a hand on one hip. “We save you from fear-eating demons and you’re gonna just abandon us?!”

Sombra exhaled. “…This isn’t my norm, you know. Any other time, yes, I _would_ just leave.”

“But not this time. Because we need to rescue Satya and the others. The more of us, the better!”

Sombra could not have looked any less enthusiastic. “Of course. Lead the way, Hana.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be part of the penultimate chapter, but it was far too long so I split this part off on its own ^^;
> 
> Hope everyone who celebrates it has a happy Thanksgiving, and if you don't celebrate it, well...have a good day anyway!
> 
> See you next week!


	12. The Last Day on Earth

_And I'm so empty here without you_

_I know they want me dead_

* * *

 

“I’m thinking we should serve a modern version of the old _gigot d’agneau pleureur_ that used to be such a hit at our parties. Granted I haven’t cooked in over a thousand years, but I’m sure we could manage. What do you think, _mon chou?_ ”

Lena sat on the bed, staring blankly at the wall.

“Love?” Amélie turned away from her closet, where she had been picking through her wardrobe. “You aren’t feeling shy, are you?”

Lena slumped forward. A tendril of black magic snaked out from Amélie and wrapped around Lena, preventing her from falling forward and hitting the floor. Amélie then scooped her up and brought her over to herself. For a moment Lena caught a glimpse through her fog of her true company – not Amélie, but a massive, hulking monster made of melting shadow with Amélie swallowed up in the middle, most of her face devoured by the darkness.

Eight glowing red orbs where Amélie’s eyes were covered fixed on her. When the monster spoke through Amélie’s mouth, Amélie’s fangs dripped with venom.

“Uh…?” Lena drew back in confused fear. Amélie’s dark magic tendrils lifted Lena with ease and brought her up to her mouth. Her fangs sank into Lena’s throat, injecting her with the ice-cold venom. Lena shuddered. Amélie nuzzled her, soothing her fears enough for her to sink back into an entranced state. Her eyes drifted shut; when they re-opened Amélie was back to looking human.

“Are you all right?” Amélie asked, taking Lena’s hand and running a thumb gently over its surface. Her mind clouded again, Lena could only nod. “Good, good. Now come, we have to prepare for the–”

The front gate outside creaked. Amélie paused, and glanced out the window.

“Hm. These guests are truly insistent. Ah!” She turned to Lena, eyes alight. “They can be our test run before the party starts! We can ensure that you are feeling well enough to host company.”

Sunken into a haze again, Lena nodded, letting Amélie lead her to the door.

* * *

 

Fareeha was no stranger to wandering around creepy old buildings in the dark – she was a security guard, after all. But she didn’t usually have to worry about supernatural abominations when she was guarding against B&Es.

She also wasn’t usually supervising three _other_ supernatural abominations.

Hana wanted to burst right in there and break Satya out. Fareeha had to convince her that that wasn’t the best idea. “We need to be stealthy. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

“We can do stealthy,” Sombra said. Gabriel nodded.

“Yeah? You can?”

Sombra pulled on the gate door. “Somebody locked us out,” she said. “Guess we can’t get in! Or _can_ we?”

Before their eyes she disintegrated into glittering purple smoke. Slipping between the bars, she rematerialized on the other side of the gate and popped the lock open. Gabriel appeared beside her, having followed her in the same way.

Fareeha uncertainly pulled the gate door open. “You guys can just… _do_ that?”

“It takes a lot of energy,” Sombra replied. “Especially for Gabe, since he’s old.”

Fareeha noticed Gabriel had a hand rested on the stone wall of the nearby garden. “I’m fine.”

“Whatever you say, Papá.”

Before they could end up distracted again Hana pulled open the massive front doors of the mansion and scurried inside. Fareeha was right behind her. Sombra and Gabriel, as usual, followed with great reluctance.

“Oh, God.” Fareeha covered her nose and mouth. An unfamiliar, yet overpowering stench practically knocked her off her feet. “…Is this what Satya was talking about when she said she could smell Dr. Ziegler’s dark magic?”

Hana nodded, covering the lower half of her face with her sleeve. “This is stronger than I’ve ever smelled, though…”

The house was completely transformed inside. Its walls, just like the outside, were of weathered grey stone, and decorated with various paintings and banners. As they entered into what had once been the mansion’s common room they came upon a massive portrait on the far wall, easily life sized. On the right side of it was a much younger-looking Amélie dressed in a flowing gown of scarlet, a necklace of gold, and a veil over her long, dark hair. Her hands were gloved and settled into the hands of a pale, dark-haired young man, who occupied the left half of the painting. He wore a fine, draping jacket of the same rich red as Amélie, which was tied at the waist. Both subjects of the painting wore small smiles, but the unspoken power behind their posturing was immense. Even if Fareeha had known nothing about this bride and groom, she’d have known by the portrait alone that they held the world in their palms.

She wants to recreate this,” Fareeha murmured. “She’s going to rebuild her lost empire on Lena’s back.”

The front door closed behind them. Fareeha startled.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Her heart dropped into her stomach as she turned slowly back around. Sure enough, Amélie was standing at the foot of the grandiose staircase in the corner of the room.

Hana stuck close to Fareeha. Recalling her assurance to Satya that she, too, would look out for Hana, Fareeha situated herself between the girl and Amélie.

“Where’s Lena?” she asked.

Amélie squinted at her. “’Lena’? I’m afraid I don’t know anyone by that name.”

Looking at Amélie more closely, it was obvious she wasn’t herself. She lacked the fangs and dead flesh of a vampiress. The short, open-shouldered dress she wore revealed her throat entirely – and she had no bite scar.

“You are here for the party, yes?” She beckoned them closer. “I know LaCroix parties draw guests from far and wide.”

“’LaCroix…?’”

“Yes – and speaking of, Gérard awaits us in the banquet hall. He has been gone for so long. You simply _must_ see him.”

The four vampires exchanged glances. _I guess this is our best chance at getting to Lena._

“…Sure,” Fareeha said. “Show us, uh, Gérard.”

Amélie’s eyes lit up. “You won’t be disappointed. Come, this way!”

She led them around the stairs, pushing open a set of massive wooden doors lined with ornate carvings and gold trimmings.

The moment the door was open Hana covered her mouth, stifling a cry.

The vampires of the mansion were arranged like decorations throughout the gigantic room. And boldly displayed at the far end of the table was Satya. Her wings were flared out, as though she had tried to escape before succumbing to the petrification. One clawed hand reached outward, and as Hana took a few shaking steps forward Fareeha realized Satya’s frozen gaze lined up perfectly with Hana’s height. _She must have sacrificed herself to keep Hana safe._

Hana made no sound after that, though her eyes glistened in the light of the elaborate chandelier overhead.

Seated at the table was a man they had never seen before – the one from the painting. His scent was familiar, but as Fareeha tried to parse it out she found herself unable to recall where she recognized it from. Surely she had never met him before?

Amélie led them over to the table, where they uncertainly seated themselves. Fareeha massaged her temples as she took a look around the room. _This isn’t right. Gérard_ _is dead. This must be another illusion._

Hana reached out and laced her fingers with Satya’s marbled ones. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Amélie stroked Satya’s cheek. “This is my favorite one. I’ve always been a fan of _le monstrueux féminin._ ”

Hana gritted her teeth. Where previously Fareeha could’ve sworn she’d had fangs, the girl’s canines were short and human now. Fareeha looked down at her own hands. Hadn’t they been gnarled and grey-tinged before? “We’re human?”

Amélie smiled. “Yes. That horrible curse holds no more power in my domain.”

Fareeha’s teeth weren’t fangs anymore, either. She dragged the tip of her thumb across them – they were just barely pointed. _Is this real? Did this weird magic actually change us back?_

Sombra and Gabriel looked as confused as she felt. Only Hana was still staring with intense visible emotion at the statue in front of them.

Gérard was smiling, but he seemed somehow detached from the rest of the scenario. His presence there felt so wrong…smelled so wrong…

“You’re a bit early for the meal, but I’m sure we can pass the time until it’s ready.” Amélie laid a hand on Gérard’s arm. “So, my dear, shall we tell them?”

Gérard continued to simply stare at her with a blank smile. Amélie sighed. “…He is still adjusting. Anyway, we decided that once things are settled down here, we think we are going to have…an heir.”

“An heir?” Fareeha looked her over. “You mean, like, a kid?”

Amélie chuckled coyly. “Well, I never cared for children personally, but now that Gérard is back I am beginning to reconsider.”

For some reason that also seemed wrong, somehow – but Fareeha could not quite place why. “What…” She struggled to think of a way to voice her uncertainty, but found it easier to simply ask “…What would you prefer? Boy or girl?”

Amélie seemed pleased by her participation. “No preference, really. Though obviously I would be better equipped to raise a girl, I suspect Gérard would want a son…”

Fareeha cast a look around the table. Everything _seemed_ normal... Sombra was hanging close to Gabriel, and neither seemed particularly uncomfortable or suspicious anymore. Hana was still staring at the monstrous sculpture in front of them. Her lip quivered slightly as she said to Amélie,

“That’s a really nice statue…”

* * *

 

The longer they stayed in the mansion the more time started to feel distorted, and Fareeha started to forget why she’d even gone there in the first place.

Amélie served some sort of fancy lamb meal. Fareeha didn’t know how it was killed, but she hadn’t had real food in so long, and she figured she was pretty much already in the red for drinking human blood on a daily basis.

“Mm, this is delicious.” She gnawed on the tender, spiced leg. She glanced up to see Hana picking at it, seemingly uncertain how to eat it. Sombra and Gabriel were chowing down as well, seemingly over any suspicions they may have had upon first arriving at the house. And why _had_ they been suspicious? This was their home. Amélie had long since proven herself trustworthy.

For some reason, however, her stomach kept turning at the sight of the monster statue behind Amélie’s chair. It was disturbing – one part of her was frightened by it, another part weirdly saddened. _Quit being such a sap,_ she berated herself. _It’s a sculpture._

Still, though, it was unsettling. Why would Amélie want all these statues of fanged, winged creatures looking like they were about to be killed? Was it some sort of power thing? _I guess I’ve known right along that Amélie was a little weird, so this really shouldn’t be too surprising._

Speaking of Amélie, she was clearly loving the spotlight. With Gérard gazing lovingly up at her she brought the room to life with her stories, tales old and new of a life Fareeha could only imagine.

It seemed as though time was both passing rapidly and not passing at all. They may have hung around the banquet all night if it wasn’t for a bizarre interruption.

One of Amélie’s stories was cut off by a low but persistent noise – a buzzing sound. Her words trailed off, and she laid a palm on the table. Her fearsome gaze swept over to Gérard, who was staring down at the breast pocket of his suit in confusion.

“What is that?” she asked.

He reached into the pocket and slowly withdrew a vibrating cell phone. Amélie’s eyes changed. She swatted it out of his hand and sent it clattering to the floor. Noting everyone else’s looks, she quickly reaffixed her hostess smile.

“Having your phone on at the dinner table is rude, _mon chou._ ”

Gérard looked utterly perplexed. Fareeha was as well. _Why does Gérard have a cell phone? He died a thousand years ago._

The phone continued to vibrate. Suddenly Hana rose from the table and went and snatched it up.

“Hana, dear”–Amélie reached for her–“Please put that down.”

Hana held the phone away from Amélie. Reading the screen, she asked, “Who’s ‘Em’?”

Gérard’s eyes widened. Amélie seized him by the arm, though her focus was still on Hana. “You’re being very rude. I don’t want to remove you from my home, but I will if I must.”

Hana slowly set the phone on the table – but not before pressing a bright green notification on the screen.

“Good girl,” Amélie said. “Now hand it over to me–”

“ _Lena?”_ The new voicemail Hana had selected started to play. “ _It’s me. I’m here, but there’s nobody around to open the gate…’fact it seems like there’s nobody around at all. It’s kinda spooky. And does this place always have its own personal storm above it? …Anyways, uh, answer your damn phone! Love you. Bye.”_

By then Gérard was sitting stick-straight. His hands were shaking a bit.

“I don’t even know who that is.” Amélie wrapped an arm around Gérard’s waist, then leaned in and kissed his throat. “Surely not for you.”

_Lena…_ Fareeha’s fingers gripped the table. _Not Gérard… **Lena** …_

“That’s not Gérard,” she uttered.

Amélie’s piercing yellow eyes locked on to her. “You are wrong.”

“It’s not Gérard. It’s Lena. This is all another illusion.”

As the realization dawned on her, the illusion began to lose its power. The stone walls melted away, exposing the warm wood of the mansion again. The banquet table disappeared, and everyone around her began to develop more monstrous traits. _Not monsters. Vampires. We’re – we’re vampires._ “This whole thing…the castle, the dinner…none of it is real…”

“Stop that!” Amélie reached out toward her. Suddenly an unseen force gripped Fareeha. “You’ll ruin everything!”

“I thought this was kinda weird.” Sombra rubbed her head. Hana nodded.

Gérard picked up the phone, which had begun to vibrate again. On the screen was a picture – the picture of Emily that Lena had shown Fareeha a few nights ago. Then he, too, was grabbed up by something invisible – and Sombra, Hana, and Gabriel followed.

“ _You will stop this immediately.”_ Amélie’s voice had a strange sound to it, as if slightly distorted. Fareeha realized her hands and feet were melting into an inky black goo on the spotless floor. “ _I must make things right again…I don’t care how much of my humanity is taken to make the deal…”_

With that her human likeness dissolved into nothingness. Gérard, too, disappeared. With the last of the illusion broken the vampires were finally granted a look at the true Amélie, or what remained of her. A hideous, sprawling mass of dark ooze mounted to the ceiling with web-like strings of black goo, it was rooted into the floor as well, a series of long, slender appendages jutting out to hold Fareeha and the others in place. Nearly swallowed up in the center of the swollen, monstrous entity was Amélie’s comparatively tiny body, her face covered everywhere but the mouth. In place of her eyes were eight piercing red orbs in two rows of four. Her exposed mouth’s gigantic fangs secreted a golden fluid that dripped from their tips, thick and ominous.

In two smaller forearms she cradled Lena, who was curled up, child-like, fast asleep. Her hair was stuck to her face, damp from the venom dripping down on her.

Amélie’s mouth twisted into a deranged grin. “ _This is just the beginning. Angela refused to give in, but this one has such darkness in her heart.”_ The massive size of her new body amplified her voice. It vibrated across the floor and rattled in Fareeha’s chest.

“Let her go!” Fareeha shouted, trying to quell her shaking.

“ _There is nothing left of her to let go of. Amélie no longer exists. All that remained was her dying fantasy. The happy ending she traded everything for.”_ The eight red eyes fixed on Fareeha. _“How do you feel knowing you destroyed the very last bit of happiness she would ever know?”_

“Sh-she can’t be dead…”

_“Oh, she isn’t dead. That wouldn’t be very useful to those of us who feed on living emotion. An inanimate corpse doesn’t tend to experience many feelings.”_

“So you’re filling her head with hallucinations to milk emotional responses from her.” Fareeha bit her lip. “That’s horrible…she doesn’t deserve that…”

She looked around at the others. Sombra, Gabriel, and Hana were all just staring up at the beast. Hana’s eyes slipped briefly down to Satya, whose form was partially encased in the black slime body of the monstrosity before them.

One of “Amélie’s” monstrous tentacles coiled around Hana, lifting her into the air. “ _What’s the matter, dear Hana? Miss your mother? You could have her back, for a price…”_

“Leave her out of this.” Fareeha fought her restraints, but to no avail. The limb of darkness had no defined shape to it, so whichever way she moved it simply molded around her.

Hana lowered her eyes. “I would never accept help from you demons. You’re the ones who hurt her in the first place. And Amélie, too.”

_“We haven’t hurt anyone. Angela and Amélie both agreed to these deals.”_

“Satya didn’t agree to it! And look what you did to her!”

The creature grinned. Dropping Lena to the floor at the base of its body, it instead grabbed Hana up in its arms. “ _Oh, little Hana…so much sadness in such a small creature…surely there are things you wish for? Your sire’s safety…a functional body…a real family…”_

Tears leaked down Hana’s cheeks. The creature drew her close and used Amélie’s forked tongue to lick the tears from the girl’s face. _“Yes, more! Cry more!”_

Fareeha strained in the grip of the monster. Her muscles tensed as she pushed its coils apart, giving herself just the slightest bit of wiggle room. With that she was able to spread her wings, giving her something besides her hands to hold the coils open with. With her hands free, she clawed at the surface of the appendage, pulling herself out of its grasp just enough.

One foolhardy decision later she was half-flying, half-falling toward Hana. She crashed straight into the girl, knocking them both downward. Fareeha attempted to steer them into a safe landing, but Hana, in a panic, threw her wings open as well, pulling them both into a sharp angle that took them on a path straight into Satya’s petrified form.

They hit the statue full-force. It toppled backward – and smashed to the hard floor.

Black, congealed blood leaked out of the shattered pieces, pooling on the floor beneath them.

Hana froze. Her eyes bugged at the sight, and she opened her mouth as if to scream, but no sound passed her lips.

Everyone else in the room halted as well, even the Amélie-beast. Hana crawled to the broken, bloody pieces scattered around her. With trembling hands she reached for one of Satya’s arms, the one that had frozen reaching out to her. The moment she picked it up it began dissolving into dust in her hands. She quickly dropped it, but not before the fingers of its hand disintegrated completely. When Hana pulled her hands away, her palms were soaked with blood.

Fareeha inched up beside her. Uncertain what to say, she attempted to rest a gentle hand on Hana’s back. Hana pulled away, and instead knelt in the blood spilled by her sire.

Her head was severed from her body, but largely whole. “S…Satya…” Hana dropped to all fours and nestled her face against Satya’s cheek. “I’m sorry…”

A few droplets, what Fareeha quickly realized were Hana’s tears, splashed into the puddle of murky blood at her feet. Moments later Hana collapsed into it, the blood soaking into her clothing as she curled up beside the remains of her sire.

_“So much…sadness…”_ The Amélie-beast looked down upon Hana’s tiny form, lying beside what was left of Satya.

Fareeha forced herself between them again. “Don’t _touch_ her.” But the moment the words were out of her mouth, she realized something was different.

There were tears leaking down Amélie’s cheeks as well. “ _Just like…me…”_

One of her tears dribbled down and landed on Lena’s neck, rousing her from her unconscious state. “…Huh…wh…” The moment she locked on to the beast looming above her, she shrieked and leapt to her feet. “What the hell?!”

“ _Lena…_ ” Amélie’s distorted voice called out to her. One giant, inky black foreleg reached out to her, brushing the side of her face. “ _I’m sorry…_ ”

“What…” Lena backed away, looking her up and down. “What happened to you?!”

“ _I made a fool’s bargain, and gave all of myself._ ” She groaned as another pair of inhuman legs sprouted from her body and attempted to seize Lena. “ _Stop…”_ She struggled to control them. “ _This was never about her._ ”

With one withered limb she reached out and grabbed one of the ancient paintings on the wall – the centuries-old portrait of herself as a dancer. It fell to the floor, its ancient paint breaking right off the canvas in chunks.

Behind the painting, strapped to its back, was a small, thin sword. Amélie picked it up and brought it over to them. “ _This…was Gérard’s_.” With visible effort she forced her corrupted body to surrender the sword to Lena. “ _Fitting._ ”

Lena clutched the sword by its polished, jewel-encrusted hilt. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

Amélie slammed her giant limbs down in front of her fledgling. “ _Kill me, Lena. Please._ ”

Lena gasped. “I can’t – there’s got to be some other way to–”

“ _There is no other way. Humans were not intended to live this long. It is too much pain…too much suffering to bear…”_

Lena held firm to the sword, but still shook her head. “I…I can’t kill you. I can’t…”

“ _Why not? You came here two years ago to kill me, did you not? This is your chance!_ ”

As Lena was looking over Amélie with horror, she seemed finally to notice Hana crying in the pool of blood by the base of Amélie’s new body. “What happened here?”

“ _I killed Satya. It wasn’t my intention…_ ” More tears streamed down Amélie’s face.

Lena’s shoulders dropped as she looked over Hana’s curled-up, shivering form. Her eyes then slid down to the sword in her hand. It was beautiful. In addition to the jeweled hilt its blade was flawlessly sharpened and polished. Someone had clearly been maintaining it all these years.

“ _Please,_ ” Amélie gasped, her voice growing more strained, “ _before I lose control again. Before I kill another innocent…_ ”

Lena looked to Fareeha, her face clearly pained. Fareeha did her best to remain neutral, not wanting to pressure her into doing what she knew would probably be the most horrific thing Lena would ever do.

Lena’s fingers gripped tight to the sword’s hilt. “This…is so _unfair_! After everything you did to me…you made me care about you. You were kinda like a mother to me, in a fucked-up sort of way…” She pointed the sword at Amélie, her eyes glistening. “How dare you ask this of me?!”

“ _I know, Lena. I’m sorry, but I–_ ”

With one upward thrust, Lena pushed the sword into Amélie’s chest. Amélie drew back, sputtering. Viscous blood, just like Satya’s, began to dribble out of her mouth. Still she leaned down to Lena’s level, allowing Lena to pull the sword out again.

“ _Good girl…but you…have to…destroy…my heart…_ ”

With a cry, Lena stabbed her again. Amélie’s feral vampiric instincts took over, and she howled at Lena – but in her prison of dark magic she could not escape.

Lena stabbed her again and again, until finally she hit a spot in Amélie’s chest that sent blood spurting out of her mouth. In a frenzy Amélie clawed her way partially out of the muck and grabbed Lena by the wrists. She looked about to lunge until Lena pulled the sword back out, releasing the last of her millennium-old blood. Staring into her eyes for a moment, Amélie slowly collapsed, and her black magic body began to dissolve, flooding the entire floor with its murk.

Reduced to only her vampiress body then, Amélie reached a weak hand out to Lena. In her full vampiric form she could not speak, but her eyes said everything. She wrapped her cold, dying fingers weakly around Lena’s wrist. Lena took her hand gently, holding onto it even as Amélie’s thousand-year-old body began to crumble into dust before her.

“Th…” Amélie reached out with her other hand, but her fingers disintegrated into dust before she could make contact with her fledgling. “…Th…ank…you…”

Lena bit her lip harder, but it didn’t stop the tears from coming anyway. “I’m sorry we were always on such bad terms,” she whispered. “If we had met any other way, we probably coulda been friends…”

Amélie’s dry, cracking lips formed a tiny smile. With her one remaining hand she reached out and laid her fingertips on the side of Lena’s face. Then, before their eyes, her ancient body disintegrated. Her bones settled into the pile of ashen remains, but then they, too, dissolved, leaving nothing but dust and her once-beautiful dress, now soaked in blood, in her wake.

Lena stared down at the pile of nothingness for a long time. The remains were disturbed a few times by tears splashing down upon them, but the arid, ancient dust soaked the moisture up immediately, leaving no trace of it behind.

As the last of the magic dissipated, so the statues began to soften once again into creatures of flesh. The vampires all burst back into life, looking around and mumbling in confusion.

Satya’s broken pieces remained stone.

Fareeha looked from Hana to Lena, unsure who to console first. Satya’s death was just beginning to hit her as well. _Can she really just be gone like that? Amélie said you have to destroy the heart…but there’s so much blood…_

Something pounded on the front door, startling all of them. Lena lifted her head and sniffed at the air.

“ _Hey! Let me in!_ ” It was Emily’s voice. “ _I’ve been standin’ out here forever!_ ”

Lena stared down at the remains of Amélie. Slowly she rose to her feet and headed for the door.

Fareeha stayed with Hana. “I’m so sorry, Hana,” she whispered. “But maybe – maybe she’s not gone for good? Look, her heart is intact.” She gestured to Satya’s torso, which was still almost entirely whole.

Hana stared at it, but said nothing.

“Dr. Ziegler’s office will be open in a few hours. We can give her a call, maybe she can do something to help.”

Hana sniffled. “How can you help _this?_ ” She gestured to all of Satya’s broken pieces.

“Well we can’t just give up. Let’s pack her up into a box or something so she doesn’t get any more damaged, and we’ll call Dr. Ziegler as soon as we can.”

Hana looked up at her with a grave sorrow in her eyes. “I don’t know how to live without her, Fareeha.”

“I know.” Fareeha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “It’ll be okay. I mean, even if…” She shook her head. “…Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of you.”

Hana leaned on her for support. The side of her face was covered in blood. Fareeha wiped it with her sleeve.

“ _God, I’ve missed you so much._ ” Emily’s voice echoed from the main hall. “ _I’m gonna have a stern word with this Huntress about stealin’ my girl for two years._ ”

Lena said something too quiet to hear. A moment later Emily said, “ _...Oh._ ”

After a few minutes of talking they entered the dining room together. Emily looked all around. “My God.” Taking in the wreckage, her eyes were drawn to the bloodied dress and pile of dust on the floor.

“Yeah, this isn’t exactly the best time for guests.” Sombra appeared between them with a broom and dustpan. “So what do we do with this mess, anyway? Dump it in the trash? Flush it down the toilet?”

“Are you serious?!” Lena grabbed her by the arm. “You can’t just throw her away like she’s rubbish!”

“Fine, then.” Sombra shoved the broom and pan into Lena’s hands. “You clean her up.” With that she and Gabriel sauntered off, seemingly unfazed by all that had just transpired before them.

Lena stared down at the floor. Emily stayed close to her. “I thought you wanted the Huntress dead.” Despite her words, her tone was gentle, not accusatory.

“I did. But it’s still hard to swallow, especially after livin’ with her for two years.”

Emily linked her hand with Lena’s. Lena gave it a tiny squeeze.

Fareeha kept her arm around Hana, supporting the shaking girl. “C’mon,” she whispered, “let’s get Satya somewhere safe, okay?”

With that the remaining vampires of the mansion, no longer in the company of the countess who had welcomed them there in the first place, began picking up the pieces of their ravaged home.

* * *

 

A warm, all-consuming light soaked into her sun-starved skin. As Amélie opened her eyes, she realized she was lying in a patch of grass outside. The light embracing her was, in fact, the sun.

“Are you all right?” A voice she hadn’t heard in years spoke in an ancient French dialect she hadn’t heard in centuries.

She sat up slowly, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light. She’d been lying beside a river – the river Thiou, just as it had looked a thousand years ago.

A boy of fifteen years held a hand out to her. She took it, and as she drew toward him she caught a glimpse of herself in the water’s reflection. A young girl of thirteen years, with long, dark hair braided down her back and gold, not sickly yellow, eyes that had caught the attention of every wealthy lord twice her age in the country.

Of course, those eyes had only ever beheld one boy with any sort of affection.

She looked around at the marshy field, the place they would always flee to when they were tired of having adult responsibilities. “Are you really here?” she whispered in her old tongue. After so many years of modern French and clunky, disgusting English, Old French felt like slipping into her most comfortable clothes after a long, hard day. “Or is this another illusion?”

He took her small, child-like hands in his own. Their elaborate gold wedding bands glinted in the sunlight. Amélie recalled vividly then her wedding day, her twelfth birthday, when Gérard, just a boy himself, had awkwardly pushed the ring onto her finger with shaking hands, their parents and family clustered around them. The sensation of touching him now was so vivid – when she was under the influence of demons everything had been dulled, as if she were sedated. This, by comparison, was undeniably real.

“I’ve been waiting all these years for you,” he said, though he smirked as he spoke. “It was really boring!”

“I’m sorry.” Amélie frowned. “I didn’t expect you to wait for me.” Looking into his soft, dark eyes, she found her frown dissipating. “Angela Ziegler told me a ‘French man’ was talking about me to her. I almost didn’t think it was you.”

He blushed a little. “I didn’t think she’d take me seriously unless I looked older. Besides, I think it would be a little weird for a teenage boy to show up and say he’s married to a grown woman.”

They both laughed. “That is true.”

“You somehow got even more beautiful, though,” he continued, leaning in to kiss the back of her hand. She felt her face warm.

“And you are just as handsome as I remember…though it’s a bit strange being married to a teenager when I am a thousand years old.”

He blinked, then retreated a bit from her. Before her eyes he transformed, a soft white light changing the hands in hers from small and boyish to firm and manly. Moments later Gérard, as a fully matured adult, was grinning at her.

“Oh, goodness.” Amélie reached out and tugged at his thin moustache. “Really?”

“You don’t like it?”

“No, it somehow suits you.”

He leaned in and gave her a kiss. In the river’s reflection she saw herself transform as well, her womanhood restored to her. She kissed him back, the two of them still giggling as though they were children.

“So...” She drew back after a moment. “What now?”

“Well, I’ve been waiting a thousand years for you. I’d really like to move on now.”

“You didn’t have to wait for me, you goof.”

“ _’Mother, Father, I know you spent all that time choosing the perfect bride for me…anyway, I left her behind.’_ ”

Amélie snickered. Then, unexpectedly, her eyes filled with tears. She blinked them back, but it was too late. Gérard reached over and wiped them away, settling his hand then on the side of her face.

“I should be happy…” she mumbled.

“You want to stay and watch over them for a little while?”

Amélie nodded.

“Okay. We can do that.” He leaned over the river’s surface and stirred it with his hand. To Amélie’s surprise, its reflection changed – it no longer reflected the two of them, but instead her earthly mansion.

Amélie leaned over it as well, watching as the translucent depictions of hordes of vampires came and went in her home.

“That mansion of yours is really nice,” Gérard said.

Amélie smiled. “Yes, I’ve heard you thought so.”

“Well it is! Every time I saw it I just kept thinking to myself, ‘Wow, that’s my wife running things down there.’”

Amélie shook her head, still smiling. Her expression changed, however, when she caught a glimpse of Lena out tending to her neglected old garden. “I just hope they don’t hate me.”

“Well you ripped my throat out with your teeth and _I_ don’t hate you.” Gérard shrugged. “So…”

Still gazing into the old river, she reached over and took Gérard’s hand again. Linked together, they curled up by the river’s edge, basking in the sunshine and the company of one another at last.


	13. So Long and Goodnight

“By God, the demonic energy in here is overpowering.” Angela covered her nose and mouth with the front of her shirt. “It’s like the spiritual equivalent of someone burning toast.”

“Well, thanks for coming.” Fareeha led her inside. They’d done a decent job cleaning up overnight, but the dark energy still hung in the air like a haze. “Last night was a nightmare.”

“I can imagine.” She exhaled. “I feel terrible. I thought it was obvious how burdensome my powers were – I never dreamed she would try to wield them herself.”

“Honestly, I think part of her knew – maybe even hoped – she wouldn’t survive it.”

Angela gave a solemn nod. “Her spirit was overcome with sorrow. It felt strange, too – almost childlike.” She looked to Fareeha. “Do you know how old she was when she was wedded to Gérard a thousand years ago?”

“I have no idea.” She’d never really thought about that. People died much younger back then, so it would make sense that marriage occurred at a young age.

Angela gazed at the ruined paintings stacked up on the floor. “That would have been interesting to know.”

As they headed upstairs, Angela paused. Her hand drifted to her chest. “What is that…terrible feeling?”

“Yeah, we, uh…” Fareeha continued up the stairs. Angela hesitantly followed. “We had a situation that we were hoping you might be able to fix.”

A spare bedroom by the top of the stairs sat open. They stepped inside, and Fareeha gestured silently to a wooden box in the corner. There Hana was curled up, finally asleep after an entire night of crying. The box was stained with tears, and as Fareeha watched another teardrop rolled down Hana’s damp cheeks.

“Oh, no.” Angela looked her over. “What happened?”

“Amélie’s crazy demon-magic or whatever turned almost all of us to stone. Satya got broken in the process.” She reached out and gently roused Hana. “Dr. Ziegler’s here,” she whispered as the girl jolted awake.

Once Hana climbed off the box Fareeha cautiously opened it. Angela peered inside. “Oh, God.” She covered her mouth. “The poor thing.”

“You can help her, right??” Hana immediately started in on her. “Her heart wasn’t destroyed, and she still smells like herself…”

With careful hands Angela reached in and picked up Satya’s petrified torso. “Hm – you’re right. The heart is protected by the stone around it, and I can still feel life energy within her.”

“So Satya’s still alive then?”

“As alive as a vampire can be, yes.” She looked over the remaining pieces laid out carefully in the box. “I can most likely put her back together. It would probably take a few hours, but…”

“It wouldn’t involve any black magic, right?” Fareeha cut in to ask.

“Not at all. I may be a witch, but I am also a doctor. This is just an unconventional surgery, really.”

Hana stared up at her with wide, red-rimmed eyes. “So you can help her?”

“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do everything I can.”

Gingerly they laid her pieces out on the room’s fresh bedspread. “Where is her other arm?” Angela asked as Fareeha set the right one down next to her torso.

“It – it broke apart when I first touched it,” Hana said. “It crumbled into dust…”

Dr. Ziegler studied Satya. “Very well then. We can work without it.”

“Won’t she be missing an arm?”

“Limbs can be replaced. What’s most important right now is making sure she is in one piece.”

Hana and Fareeha clustered at either side of the doctor to watch her. Angela cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, but I don’t usually perform complex medical procedures in front of an audience.”

“I’m not leaving,” Hana said.

“I’ll go, if it’ll make you feel more comfortable,” Fareeha replied. “But let Hana stay.”

Angela exhaled. “Fine. But please don’t speak to me or make any sudden noises or movements while I’m working. I want to be absolutely sure this goes well.”

“I won’t do anything.”

Fareeha stepped toward the door. “Thank you, Doctor.”

Angela lowered her chin. “You don’t need to thank me. It was my fault to begin with.”

* * *

 

Fareeha wandered up and down the hallway with her hands linked behind her back. She hadn’t given herself an opportunity to think about the possibility of Satya not coming back. A few short weeks ago she’d been fleeing in terror from the vampire woman. Now she was one of the closest confidantes Fareeha had. Her lover. Her mate. She couldn’t imagine vampiric life without her.

“Hey.”

She turned around. Jamison was limping toward her. His peg leg still had jagged hunks of stone on it. Fareeha felt an immediate wash of guilt – nobody had even thought of him during the incident. It wasn’t until several hours later that Sombra found him hanging by his still-petrified peg out a window. Apparently he had tried to escape, but his leg had been his downfall.

“Hey,” she said back, avoiding meeting his gaze.

“How’s, uh…” He thumbed toward the door. “…She doin’?”

“Satya or Hana?”

“Well both I guess, but I meant Hana.”

“I mean, she’s about as good as you’d expect.”

He sighed. “I ain’t talked to her. I’m no good at emotional stuff. Oh, speakin’ of…”

He reached in the back pocket of his shorts and pulled out a neatly-folded piece of ivory stationary. It was sealed with a stamp and kissed with bright red lipstick. “I found this while I was, uh, pokin’ around.”

“You’re already robbing the place??”

“Oi, the old lady’s gone and carked it! She don’t need money anymore!”

“But _we_ do! We have to pay to keep this place running!”

Jamison stared at her for a long moment. “…I didn’t think’a that.”

“Put the stuff you stole back and I won’t tell anyone you did it.”

“Fine, fine. But this–” He turned the letter over. The outside read, in needlessly-flouncy handwriting, _To Lena._

“Oh.” Fareeha plucked it gingerly from his fingers. “Guess I’ll bring this to her.”

Jamison paused outside the door to Satya’s room.

“I wouldn’t go in there now,” Fareeha warned. “Dr. Ziegler’s working on Satya.”

Jamison folded his arms and slid down against the far wall. “’Kay then. I’ll just wait here, I guess.”

* * *

 

Fareeha knew where Lena would be. And sure enough, she found her and Emily in Amélie’s chambers. Lena was sitting on Amélie’s canopy bed, its covers perfectly made, as if still waiting for Amélie to return to it. Beside Lena sat a box of some kind. Emily was rummaging around in Amélie’s walk-in closet.

“Hey, Lena.” Fareeha gave her a little wave as she entered the room.

Lena looked up from the box. “Oh, hi Fareeha.” She set something down into the box that she had apparently been inspecting. “By the way, I really appreciate you guys comin’ back here for me. Ya didn’t have to.”

“Of course we did!” Emily popped out of the closet wearing Amélie’s favored black suit jacket with the red frills. “Ooh, I like this. Just call me ‘Emily Guillard’.”

Lena sighed. “Knock if off, Em.”

“Sorry. S’just kinda hard to be sad about a vampire countess who held my girlfriend hostage for two years.”

“I know. You can’t understand it. You weren’t here.”

Fareeha cleared her throat. “Um, speaking of Amélie, Jamison found this somewhere in the house.” She held the letter out to Lena. Eyeing it with curiosity, Lena took it from her.

“ _’To Lena’?_ God, I don’t even know what this is.”

Fareeha and Emily clustered beside her as she carefully unsealed the stationary.

_My Dearest Lena,_

_I know that I have not always done right by you. I hope you will accept this, the best I can do for reparations._

“Sounds like she knew she was gonna die,” Fareeha said.

Lena bit her lip. “ _To my fledgling, Lena Oxton, I leave the entirety of my estate – she may do with it as she pleases. If my death is memorialized in any way then I ask it be somewhere away from the public eye, perhaps in the garden or by the river. If she chooses not to acknowledge it then that is also acceptable._

_This house was purchased with the inheritance of the vampiress who took me in and raised me from girlhood. She was a cruel and malicious woman. I had always promised myself that, should I ever bear a fledgling, I would give her all the love I was denied – but I was weak, and the world embittered me long before you came along._

_If ever you sire a fledgling I hope that you will outwardly love and cherish her as much as she deserves._

_Je t’adore.”_

Lena stared at the letter for a long time. When finally she lowered it into her lap she murmured, “So I guess this is all mine now.” Her voice cracked slightly in mid-sentence. She pointedly ignored the last half of the letter.

“Well at least she did _somethin’_ right by ya.” Emily clasped a polished pearl necklace around her neck. “Ooh, this is nice.”

“She did a few things right by me. She coulda just slaughtered me. Or used me for food, like those other poor…” She paused. “…Wait a minute. We don’t have any feeder humans left.”

“What? What happened to them?”

“Feeder humans?” Emily’s eyes widened with a mix of curiosity and revulsion.

“Amélie killed them all. She thought we weren’t gonna need them anymore.”

“Oh, well at least there’s a happy ending,” Emily murmured.

“So…what do we do now?” Fareeha had never loved the idea of Amélie’s “human livestock”, but it had spared them having to hunt.

“Amélie kept a _lot_ of blood on-hand, but yeah, once that runs out…”

“We’ll just have to do it. We’ll have to hunt.” Fareeha straightened her spine, trying to look bolder than she felt. “I mean, we have to, you know?”

“Too bad ya don’t have any willing humans hangin’ around!”

“For the last time, Em, I am _not_ biting you.”

“I’m gonna put my neck in your mouth in your sleep.”

“I’ll sleep with a muzzle on if I have to.”

“I can’t believe you don’t want me to be your queen of the night!”

“Hey, you didn’t tell me Amélie’s stuff was up for grabs.” A cloud of purple smoke coalesced into Sombra. She reached past Emily and started digging through the closet herself. Emily drew back from the vampiress, looking her over uncertainly.

“It’s not!” Lena jumped up and slapped her away. “Everything Amélie owned is mine now, and I’ll decide what to do with it.”

“What? Who says it’s _yours_?”

Lena held up the letter.

Sombra made a face. “Oh, wow, okay. I made all those stupid French cocktails for that bitch and she leaves me with nothing. Cool.”

“Hey, what’s this?” Emily dragged out an ancient-looking chest covered in tarnished gold and dulled precious stones. “Treasure chest?”

“It’s probably personal…” Lena started to say. Before she could finish Sombra and Emily had already popped it open.

“Ooh, it’s a bunch of really old stuff.” Emily picked up a leather-bound journal that looked about ready to fall apart. Blowing the dust off its cover, she cautiously untied the string keeping it closed and opened it to the first page.

“Aww, look at this.” Sombra pointed at something inside. Lena and Fareeha gathered behind Emily to look at it.

The first page of the journal had a pocket, and tucked into it was a handful of quite talented sketches on ancient stationary. The one Sombra had pointed at was an ink drawing of a young, dark-haired girl with wide, child-like eyes. Standing opposite her was a boy – Fareeha immediately recognized him as a younger version of Gérard. He was putting a ring on Amélie’s finger.

“They look so young,” she murmured, thinking of Angela’s comment from earlier.

Behind that drawing was another. A sketch of a tall and slender figure with a jagged profile, short, spiky hair, and long, menacing fingers that ended in claws longer than Satya’s. One hand was wrapped around the wrist of the same dark-haired girl from the previous page. Little Amélie.

“Who the heck is that?” Sombra asked.

Lena’s finger drifted down the page. Toward the bottom was some writing. The ancient script was a bit difficult to make out, and quite faded, but she could see enough. “ _Mademoiselle._ ”

“’Mademoiselle’? That’s a woman?”

“I guess.”

“Maybe that’s the vampiress she was talking about in her letter.” Fareeha could certainly see this figure being the cruel and malicious woman Amélie had described. She had a sharpness to her, and, presuming this was a drawing done by Amélie, it definitely seemed as though she was viewed as frightening by the artist.

“I never asked her much about her life before,” Lena murmured. “She never said much.”

The drawing behind that was a much different scene. In it the woman from the previous picture was tied to a stake, and a series of scribbly lines seemed to represent fire at her feet.

“Damn,” Sombra mumbled. “Maybe somebody shoulda recommended Amélie a therapist.”

“Or maybe this is what actually happened.” Lena studied it, her lips pursed. “Maybe this lady was burned at the stake by humans, and that’s how Amélie ended up with everything she owned.”

“What’s in the rest of the book?” Emily asked.

Lena flipped through it. “It’s all in French. Like, really old French. I know a little modern French but I can’t make heads or tails of any of–”

As she was fanning through the pages, a piece of paper slipped out from the middle. It fell open to reveal a much fresher, more recent sketch. Lena picked it up, angling it so that the others could see it as well.

Perfectly-etched lines depicted what was, unmistakably, Lena. Done in the style of an old-fashioned portrait, Lena was standing tall, her hands behind her back, a tiny smile on her face. Her eyes were round and sparkling and full of life. She was dressed in a suit with a feminine cut and a small bowtie, and her hair was lively and spiky, a far cry from how flat and lifeless it had looked the entire time Fareeha had known her.

“Wow.” Sombra chuckled. “That’s weird. I hope Gabe’s not drawing me when I don’t know about it.”

Lena turned the paper over. There was nothing written on it, front or back. “I don’t get it,” she murmured, “if she cared about me this much why didn’t she ever act like it? Why’d she always torment me?”

“I don’t know, but this is pretty weird.” Emily looked the drawing over, her face slightly twisted. “You _sure_ you two weren’t having some kind of affair or something?”

“Pretty fuckin’ sure, luv.” Lena reached out and slung an arm around Emily’s waist, pulling her up against her. “This isn’t actually as weird as it seems, I think. It’s just not romantic.”

“What is it, then?”

“I think it was, like…” She set the picture down beside the drawing of little Amélie and her sire. “Maternal."

“She said the lady who took care of her was pretty shitty,” Fareeha said. “Maybe she never really knew how to have a healthy sire-fledgling relationship. And if she was as young as it seems when she was converted, she probably barely had a relationship with her parents either.”

Lena stared at the old book for a long time. Then she took it and flung it against the wall. It hit with a resounding _bang_ and a puff of dust from its weathered old pages, landing face-down on the floor.

Emily wrapped her arms around her. Lena buried her face in her girlfriend’s chest, her shoulders quivering as she began to cry. “Oh, Lena.” Emily stroked her hair softly. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all this, babe.”

“I just–” Lena sniffled. “Why? Why’d it have to be so difficult like this? I would’ve loved to have a relationship like Hana and Satya…now we’ll never have anything…”

“I know, hon. I know.” Emily patted her back.

Lena drew back just enough to look into her eyes. “It just would’ve been nice to have a parent who actually…”

“Lena…”

“…wanted me.”

Emily hugged her tight. “I know how you feel, babe. I absolutely do.”

Sombra hung back, her usual snarky facial expression toned down a bit. Fareeha was uncertain what to do, so she reached out and gave Lena’s exposed arm a gentle pat.

“It’s okay, Lena. We’re – we’re your family now.”

“Definitely!” Emily covered her face in little kisses. “We’ve always been all we needed anyway.”

Lena broke down crying even harder. “I love you guys,” she whimpered.

“I love you too, Lena.”

“Yeah, uh, m-me too.” Fareeha had never been the best with declarations of emotion, but she made an attempt. “You’re awesome.”

Before they could say any more, Fareeha’s picked up on a long-awaited sound – the voices of Satya and Hana down the hall. The others must have picked up on it as well – they all stopped what they were doing and turned toward Fareeha, who was on her feet in an instant.

“Go,” Lena said. “It’s okay.”

With a nod, Fareeha hurried out the door.

* * *

 

By the time Fareeha got back to the room she could hear the conversation more clearly. Hana was talking, Satya was more mumbling. Nudging the door open, she found Dr. Ziegler standing at the foot of the bed and Hana sitting on the edge of it, talking in a low voice. Satya, she discovered, had been reassembled and returned to a creature of flesh, but she was staring straight up at the ceiling, seemingly unaware of her surroundings.

“It’s okay, Satya.” Hana ran a hand through Satya’s hair. “It’s not real. I’m right here. I’m okay.”

“She’s trapped in an illusion.” Dr. Ziegler said as Fareeha walked in. “I could dispel it, but it’s best to try to wake her gradually if we can.”

“Was she hallucinating the whole time she was petrified?”

“I would assume so.”

Her own nightmare had been absolutely horrific at only a few minutes long. Satya had been petrified for almost a full day. _She’s going to need a lot of TLC after this ordeal._

Fareeha looked her over. Her flesh, graciously covered by a blanket from the neck down – though Fareeha suspected she wouldn’t have cared anyway – was back to its normal shade of grey-brown, but now had cracks running across its surface. Her mouth was divided by a crack down its left side, where a piece of her jaw had had to be reaffixed. Combined with her grey flesh it gave her an almost uncanny appearance, like a statue come to life. Fareeha supposed that’s what she was now.

“Satya.” Hana shook her gently. “Please wake up.”

“H-Hana…” Despite acknowledging her, Satya’s gaze was beyond Hana, as though viewing a scene entirely different. She mumbled something in Hindi. A tear slipped down her fractured cheek.

Hana climbed into the bed with her, hugging her through the blanket. She whispered back in Hindi as well.

“Is she gonna be all right?” Fareeha looked to Dr. Ziegler for reassurance. It was disturbing to see a creature normally as collected – and powerful – as Satya caught in the claws of creatures powerful enough to keep her imprisoned in her own mind.

Hana nuzzled her cheek against Satya’s. “C’mon, Saty, we’re all here waiting for you.”

Satya’s eyes shifted slightly – their pupils fixed on Hana instead of past her. “Hana…? You are…?”

“I’m fine, Satya. You were dreaming.”

“A…dream…” Slowly, shakily, she tried to sit up. “You were burning…just like my…”

“No, I’m okay.” Hana held her tight. “Nobody’s burning me. There are evil spirits here using your fears against you.”

“They will be gone soon.” Dr. Ziegler scrawled something in a miniature notebook retrieved from her pocket. “I will cleanse this place.”

Satya looked around at the concerned faces surrounding her. Eventually her gaze came back to Hana. She went in to hug her, but as she sat up and reached outward her blanket slipped off her chest, revealing the stump of a shoulder on her left side. She froze.

“Your arm got broken off when you were turned to stone,” Hana gently explained. “Dr. Ziegler said she can replace it.”

“That’s true. I can have a prosthetic made for you quite easily.”

“Prosthetic…” Satya looked down at her right hand, where she flexed her fingers. “It still feels as though both limbs are moving.”

“I’m sorry. That is called phantom sensation, and it is very common in those who have recently lost a body part. It will ease in time.”

“So my real arm is simply…gone.”

“I’m sorry, Satya.” Fareeha avoided her gaze. “Nobody meant for this to happen.”

Satya seemed to have something else on the tip of her tongue, but she held it, instead saying, “Well, I s-suppose the most important thing is that everyone is all right.”

Fareeha averted her eyes.

Hana cleared her throat. “Amélie is…”

Satya studied her. “She is…what?”

“…Dead.”

Satya’s jaw clenched. “I see.”

“She asked Lena to kill her.”

“That is a terrible burden to place on a fledgling.”

“She was really messed up. I think she didn’t want to risk hurting anyone anymore.”

“Is that what happened to me?” She studied her remaining arm, with all its cracks and scars. “She shattered me?”

“Um, actually that was me.” Fareeha massaged the back of her neck. “I was trying to save Hana and we kind of, uh, fell on you.”

Hana nodded. “It’s true.”

“Oh.” Satya scratched her head. “Well, you did say you were going to destroy me.”

“Oh-ho-kay, well, uh,” Fareeha laughed loudly, “glad to see you’re feeling okay at least.”

Satya reached out and laid her hand on Fareeha’s cheek. Fareeha leaned in, and they shared a light kiss. “I was worried,” Fareeha whispered.

“I’m sorry.” Satya rubbed her cheek against Fareeha’s. “But thank you for looking after Hana while I was incapacitated. That means the world to me.”

“Yeah, of course. I told you I would.”

“I’m sorry I let that happen to you.” Hana was staring down at the bedspread. “It was my fault.”

“It was not your fault.” Satya’s shoulder twitched. Remembering she could no longer have a hand on each fledgling, she moved her good arm off Fareeha and used it to envelope Hana instead. “You did not do this to me.”

“But the whole reason you ended up here was so you could have a break from babysitting me all the time.”

“What? Wherever did you get an idea like that?” Satya lifted Hana’s chin and looked right into her eyes. “Hana, I brought _us_ here so that _we_ could be safer. It was nothing to do with me not wanting to look after you anymore!”

Hana’s eyes glistened. “You don’t think I’m a burden, then?”

“Oh. That is what this is about.” Satya stroked Hana’s cheek. “I should never have said that to you. You are not a burden. All relationships require effort. I am sorry…sometimes what I consider to be simple honesty is needlessly hurtful.”

Hana hugged her tight, apparently forgiving her. Satya returned the hug as best she could.

“So,” she continued, mustering a smile, “what sort of a new arm should I get from Dr. Ziegler? Perhaps a hook hand, like a pirate?”

Hana grinned. “What about a sword hand? Then nobody would ever mess with you.”

Satya chuckled at that. “Unfortunately I think I should like to retain an opposable thumb. I may have to go with a simple, hand-shaped hand.”

Hana huffed. “How boring!”

“You could get it in a cool color,” Fareeha added. “Or paint flames on it or something.”

“Wouldn’t be the oddest prosthetic I’ve seen,” Angela murmured.

Still holding Hana close, Satya smirked. “Well, I suppose we shall have to at least choose an interesting color scheme, then.”

“Gee, I wonder what color you’re gonna choose?” Hana made a face at her.

“Am I so predictable? I simply like to be coordinated. My dress already matches my eyes. Why not my arm, too?”

“You can have whatever you’d like,” Angela said. “Oh, and speaking of your dress…” She reached into the box Satya’s pieces had been stored in and retrieved the weathered old scarlet fabric.

Satya took it from her and pulled it on, rubbing a bit of the fabric between her thumb and forefinger. “Thank you.”

With that Hana helped her to her feet. She seemed surprisingly all right despite being down a limb. _She and Hana both are tough as nails. Nothing’s ever gonna come between the two of them._

Fareeha was silently thankful that she didn’t have to come between them – for better or worse, she was a part of their weird little family now.

Satya settled her hand on Fareeha’s forearm. “I have had quite the day. Do you think perhaps, after I have spent some time with Hana, we could share a bit of downtime together?”

“Of course.” Fareeha laid her hand atop Satya’s. “You don’t even have to ask.”

Satya’s lips curled into a tiny smile. She stood up on her tiptoes and gave Fareeha a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Fareeha threw her arms around Satya, pushing a tiny squeak of surprise out of Satya’s lungs. “I’m really glad you’re alive.”

Satya allowed herself to be clutched in Fareeha’s tight embrace. “Heh. Quite the change from when we first met.”

“Let’s not talk about that.”

“Agreed.”

Suddenly the door swung open. Jamison bounded into the room. “Aw, I can’t take it anymore!” He grabbed Hana, pulling her right off the bed with ease, and practically snapped her spine in half hugging her. “I wanted to say somethin’ but I didn’t know what to say. So I’m gonna just hug ya.”

“That’s okay,” Hana choked out. “Thanks, Jamie.”

When finally he pulled back, he said, “So what now?” His eyes flicked to Satya, but then quickly returned to Hana.

“What do you mean?” she asked with a slight frown.

“I mean are you gonna stay here? I heard some’a the other vamps say they’re leavin’.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I can’t half blame them, really.”

“Yeah…” She looked to Satya. “Well, Satya’s not really in a good place to be traveling right now, so I guess we’re staying.”

“Christ, mate, what happened to your arm?” Jamison recoiled a bit. “I didn’t even notice ‘til just now!”

“A long story. But I am fine.”

“Well, y’know what this means, don’t ya?” With a _pop_ he detached his metal arm and waved the stump of his upper arm at her. “We match!”

“Oh, how lovely.” Satya sighed.

“It ain’t too bad, really…ya can sleep on your side without ever having to worry about your arm fallin’ asleep on ya! ‘Cause it’s…not…there.” He trailed off. “…I’m not helpin’, am I.”

“Not really. But I do appreciate your attempt.”

“So what do you think, Satya?” Hana turned to her. “Should we stay?”

“Would you prefer to stay, my love?”

“I…think so. I like everyone here. And it’s nice to not have to sleep under highway overpasses anymore.”

“True.”

“I mean, I’ll go wherever you guys go,” Fareeha added. “I’d like to stay here, but…”

“I’d definitely rather stay with Hana than any’a these random bloodsuckers,” Jamison said. “So if you guys go, I guess I’ll go too.”

“I think we shall stay.” Satya nodded at Hana. Hana smiled.

“Yeah. This is our home now!”

“And should you ever need more assistance, you know I am happy to do what I can.” Angela’s eyes were soft. She wasn’t smiling, but instead still wore a look of immense guilt.

“Thank you,” Satya said.

“So, uh,” Fareeha said as she cleared her throat, “Lena apparently owns this whole place now. And I think she’s gonna need a lot of help running it.”

“Of course. I would be happy to help,” Satya replied.

“Me too.” Hana nodded enthusiastically. Jamison shrugged and gave an uncertain nod as well.

“Good.” Dr. Ziegler tucked her hands in the pockets of her work pants. “It’s better that she isn’t alone.”

Her tone gave Fareeha pause. “Why?”

“Misfortune seems to be contagious. At least when it comes to magic-induced misfortune.”

“What are you saying? Is Lena in danger?”

“I’m just a bit concerned for her. She’s already been touched by dark magic. She may be more susceptible to it than most now.”

“Couldn’t you cast some sort of protective spell on her or something?”

Angela shook her head. “No amount of my forceful intervention will stop her from falling to temptation. She must have a support system to help her overcome it on her own.”

“Lena won’t listen to those demon things,” Hana said. “She’s tough.” Satya nodded in agreement.

“It’s good that you feel that way.” Angela angled her body slightly away from the vampires, gazing out into the empty hallway instead. “I hope you are right.”

* * *

 

_Hungry…so…hungry…_

Lena’s eyelids peeled open. There was a human right beside her, asleep. Vulnerable. Her throat was exposed and she wasn’t emitting any sort of alarm or fear pheromones.

An easy target.

Lena moistened her teeth with her long, slender tongue – a difficult feat since she was quite dehydrated. All of her bodily fluid had been drained out through her eyes in the night. Her pillow was still damp from it.

She rose up in the bed, cautious not to rouse the easy meal before her. Her eyes tracked the rising and falling chest of the human, noting her breaths. They were slow, easy. She was completely unaware of the monster in her bed.

Leaning down to her, Lena growled low in her throat as she felt her fangs grow out to their true length and deadliness. She had never bitten a human before. Her instincts told her that didn’t matter. She didn’t need to be precise about it. She could tear this human’s entire throat out and devour whatever she wanted of her.

She was just about to latch her jaws onto the human’s neck when something stopped her. A hand seized her by her wrist, pulling her back with an unnatural power. Lena tumbled from the bed and hit the floor beside it with a whine of confusion.

The human stirred. Lena’s pinprick pupils tracked her every movement, her claws already scrambling to pull her back up onto the bed. Again something stopped her, this time dragging her by both wrists across the floor, to the opposite side of the room.

With a snarl Lena flipped herself over to see just what was putting itself between her and her meal. Her eyes widened at the sight of a tall, ethereal woman with long, sweeping dark hair, skin so pale it seemed almost translucent, and commanding golden eyes that glowed in the dark room. She had no scent, and made no sound.

Lena hissed. The woman shook her head, then pulled Lena to her feet and began to lead her toward the door. Once outside the room she dragged her all the way down the hall, Lena fighting and growling all the way, until they reached the kitchen. There Lena halted. The smell of blood was strong. There was fresh blood somewhere nearby.

The woman moved to stand beside a tall black box. The blood was inside of it. Lena looked it up and down, then snapped her teeth down on the handle. Rolling her eyes, the woman simply watched as Lena fought with the box, desperately trying to recall how to operate it with only her most basic vampiric instincts active.

At one point she latched on to the handle and whipped her head vigorously back and forth like a wild dog. To her surprise, the box pulled open. Inside were several dozen glasses full of fresh blood.

The woman swept her arm out, gesturing inside the box. Lena wasted no time – she bounded toward it, her claws scratching the floor as she half-ran, half-loped. She snatched a glass up and drank it down, then grabbed a second and a third one.

The woman reached out to her and lightly ruffled her hair. Her fingers were ice cold to the touch, yet felt like nothing. Like cold air.

With her stomach full, Lena’s followup instinct was to rest and let her body make the greatest use of the energy she’d just fed into it. She sank to the floor and curled up, letting sleep overtake her for a short while.

She awoke on the floor of the kitchen an indiscernible amount of time later, surrounded by broken glass and traces of blood.

“H-huh…?” She sat up, rubbing her head. “What happened? Why am I on the floor?”

It was mid-day, so there was no one around to respond to her. She climbed to her feet, careful to avoid the glass shards all around her. _Did I go into a blood frenzy or something?_ She froze. _Oh, no – Emily!_

She stumbled down the hall, leaning on the wall for support. Their bedroom door was open. “Emily?” she called. “Are you okay?”

When she stepped into the room, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Emily was sleeping soundly, curled up on her side of the bed without a care in the world.

Lena crawled into bed with her. _Thank God I musta had the sense to go for the blood stores instead of her. I coulda ripped her throat out…_

The thought terrified her. _Even if I’m always able to control myself around her, who says all the other vamps here will? As long as she’s human, she’s in danger._

She drew Emily into her arms. Upon making contact with Lena’s icy flesh, Emily shuddered. One warm brown eye peeked open. “Hm…?” Her voice was groggy. “What is it, luv…?”

Lena pushed her face into Emily’s neck, giving her a soft kiss on the throat. A small, satisfied moan escaped Emily’s lips. “Oh, I like that. “

Lena hesitated a moment. Swallowing, she whispered, “Before I change my mind…”

Emily’s big, curious eyes lit up a little. “Yeah?”

Lena nestled her teeth against Emily’s flesh.

“Ooh…” Emily closed her eyes and smiled. “Yes, please…”

“There’s no goin’ back if we–”

Emily pulled herself tight into Lena’s embrace. Lena felt it as she nodded her head against Lena’s chest.

Before she could allow herself to hesitate any further, Lena sank her teeth into Emily’s flesh. Immediately her mouth filled with the flavor of her girlfriend – Emily’s sweat, skin, and blood all at once. Emily moaned, pressing herself against Lena and nodding harder. “Fuck…”

Lena drew back a little. “Good fuck or bad fuck?”

“Good, good…”

Lena tried to smile, even though she felt horrendously guilty. “I love you, Em.”

“Love you too, babe. Now get back to bitin’.”

Lena made sure not to drink much from Emily, though it was difficult to resist the temptation – she was delicious. As she lapped at the wound, ensuring enough of her saliva got into Emily’s bloodstream to hopefully convert her, Amélie’s old words echoed in her mind. _Better to marry another vampire, at least._

As if reading her mind, Emily murmured, “We should get married.”

Lena hesitated. About to pull her mouth off Emily’s flesh, Emily tangled a hand in Lena’s hair and kept her pushed up against her instead. “No, don’t answer now. But let’s think about it, maybe?”

“I think I’d love that.”

“Hey, I said don’t answer.”

“Too late.”

They wrapped their arms around each other, pressed up as close as they could get. Lena closed up the bite with a few tender licks.

“Yeah, let’s get married and have a big old fancy-schmancy wedding,” she murmured into Emily’s ear. The two of them giggled.

“Well, you do have all that money now. Might as well spend it, right?”

“On a big, elaborate party…it’s what Amélie would’ve wanted.”

“Yeah, we’ll do it in her honor.”

Lena nuzzled Emily’s cheek with her own. “Sounds like a plan, luv. Now go back to sleep. We got a long road ahead of us.”

Emily closed her eyes and cuddled up to Lena. “I’m lookin’ forward to it.”


	14. Epilogue

A few centuries were nothing to a vampire, but within such a short passage of time humankind utterly transformed their world.

“The landscape is so different now.”

Hana sat beside Satya on the roof, their legs dangling over the ledge. Even after hundreds of years the girl had grown only slightly taller – her legs were still far shorter than Satya’s.

“Humans move quickly,” Satya replied. “They must.”

“That’s true.”

The sky was alight with fire – nothing novel anymore. Humans had created vast metal beasts to serve them, but they had not been able to control them. Satya was hardly surprised – she had been skeptical of ambitious human inventions since the first time she’d ever seen an airplane. Then again, she herself was part machine. Human ingenuity had created monsters, but it had also returned to Satya the ability to hold her beloved fledglings again.

Thinking of her other fledgling, it was not long before Fareeha appeared on the horizon, beating her tawny brown wings against the crimson-blotted night sky. In her arms she held a human child.

“Oh, dear.” Satya frowned. “Not another one.”

She and Hana got to their feet and met Fareeha as she landed in the middle of the roof.

“Fareeha.” Satya reached out and laid a hand on her lover’s shoulder. “The mansion is full to bursting.”

Fareeha laid the unconscious girl gently on the rooftop. She looked very young, even by human standards. Her childish fingers were curled up into tiny, tense fists – surely a side effect of great pain. Her long, dark hair was matted with sweat and blood, and the front of her pure white dress was stained with blood in several large, round spots.

“She was shot.” Fareeha took off her jacket and folded it, lying the girl’s head upon it. “One of those things shot her.”

The moment the girl’s head lolled slightly to the side Satya noticed the punctures on her neck. “Fareeha…”

“I know, I know. But I couldn’t just let her die.”

“We’ll find a way to fit her,” Hana spoke up. “She’s just a kid. Worst case she can room with somebody.”

Satya lowered her head in concession, but said nothing.

Under Lena’s direction the mansion had become a sort of bizarre human refuge. Lena and Fareeha were always out scouting the streets of France for humans wounded or displaced by the war. The metal monsters took no interest in beings without vital signs, so unlike humans they were not endangered by putting themselves in the thick of things. The vampires had no real medical knowledge, but they did have one thing – the offer of eternal life.

At first they had been reluctant to convert random humans, but these days, for better or worse, it was their go-to solution. As a result not only was the mansion overflowing with converts, but their kind in general was now public knowledge to most of humankind. At first humanity was rightfully wary, and many still were, but the vampires had come to be regarded by many as a brand of highly unconventional hero – hunters turned saviors. And in a war where the enemy was just as unconventional, it seemed humans were more willing to ally themselves at least with organic creatures, living or not.

Blood donations flooded in, all but eliminating their need to hunt. The once-reviled “Huntress” was now an icon – though few knew the truth behind the moniker, that the Huntress of the present was not the Huntress who had always been.

No, Amélie was commemorated by nothing more than a small, subtle grave in the garden, tucked between two long-growing rosebushes. It was marked by a short stone pillar that bore Amélie’s name and held Gérard’s mounted sword just beneath the engraving. Satya visited the grave occasionally. It had always maintained a very powerful aura, and Satya used to wonder if Amélie was still with them in some regard. But a handful of years ago the aura dissipated. If Amélie had been with them before, she was not there now. Lena rarely spoke of her, but after a recent visit to her grave had asked the others if they believed Amélie had abandoned them. Perhaps she did not agree with their new direction, Lena had wondered – but Amélie had always known what kind of person Lena was. It could not have been a surprise to her.

The human girl sputtered. Fareeha elevated her head a little more. Blood leaked from the child’s lips, much darker than normal for a human. Fareeha blotted it with her own sleeve.

“I’m gonna get her into a bed.” Effortlessly, and yet with the utmost grace, Fareeha lifted the girl and carried her through the doorway that led down into the mansion.

Satya hoped Hana would not be looking at her when she turned, but of course she was.

“You know I am the last person to oppose saving dying human children,” Satya mumbled.

Hana reached out and laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. “I know, Satya. You never have to explain yourself to me.”

That reassured her a bit. “I just do not know how many more humans we can possibly take in. Our community is beginning to feel more like a city. A very overcrowded city.”

“I know. I never imagined Fareeha of all people to have a small town’s worth of fledglings.”

“Although,” Satya replied, her tone lightening just the slightest, “it is most endearing to see so many children following her around like vampiric ducklings.”

“Even though you can hardly get near her anymore?”

“Well, I have had centuries to familiarize myself with her…”

They both smirked.

“God, I don’t know how you aren’t sick of her by now,” Hana ribbed her. “I can’t date a guy for more than a couple years without getting tired of him.”

Satya knew that to be true. Hana had burned through nearly every young male vampire at the mansion in just a couple of decades. One of the few she maintained a connection with was her first lover and fledgling, Jamison. The two of them still spent time together quite often, both platonic and otherwise.

“Hana, dear…” Satya drifted toward the door that led downstairs, but first she threw a coy look back over her shoulder. “Have you ever _seen_ Fareeha?”

A grin broke out across Hana’s face, transforming her instantly back to the impish teenager she had once been. “I guess if I was into vampiresses I’d probably feel that way about her. …Maybe.”

“No, I am sure you would still have terrible taste.”

Hana cackled.

* * *

 

“Okay, everybody listen up.” Fareeha stood amidst a sea of children, holding both palms out on each side in a ‘stop’ gesture. “It’s time for–Mathieu, Marion, learn to share or I take it away.”

Two young vampires tugged at a stuffed bear. The girl, Marion, had its stomach clenched between her teeth. Fareeha’s warning did not even halt them.

“All right, if you don’t want to listen...” Fareeha reached with obvious reluctance for the toy. Marion ripped it out of the boy’s hands and, with her tiny but razor-sharp claws, raced straight up the wall with it. “Okay no, we are _not_ doing this again.”

Before she could diffuse the situation the boy, Mathieu, winged over her head and went straight for the girl. Fareeha was on him in a second, snatching him out of mid-air like a hawk. “I _just_ said we’re not doing this again.”

She only finally seemed to notice Satya as she was landing with the boy in her arms. “Oh, hey,” she said, “watching me get my butt kicked by a bunch of kids?”

Satya wore a small, amused smile. “I think it’s very cute.”

“I think _you’re_ very–ack!” Suddenly another fledgling child landed on Fareeha’s back.

“Madame F’reeha! _Je veux du jus!_ ”

“Okay, I’ll make you some in a minute.” She ignored his tugging at her and instead simply continued supervising the other children, wearing the boy like a loud, squirming backpack.

“Perhaps I will return when you are less busy.” Satya rose up on her toes to peck Fareeha on the cheek. Fareeha nodded.

“I just gotta get all the kids to bed…Noah’s thirsty, and Chloé and Juliette need bedtime stories to fall asleep, and Stella lost her stuffed penguin somewhere in the mansion and won’t go to sleep until I find it for her.”

“Oh my. Do you need assistance with any of that?”

“No, no.” Fareeha stared straight ahead. “I made this bed. Now I gotta lie in it.”

The squeals of a few children drew Satya’s attention over to Hana, who was chatting with a few of them. The young vampires had taken right to Hana – unsurprising considering her fun but easygoing nature and tendency to treat even the youngest children as equals in conversation. She had developed a bit of a fan following in the mansion – the children followed her around, swapped greatly exaggerated stories about her, and some had even created drawings of her. Hana kept all the drawings on a corkboard on her bedroom wall, and referred to it as her Fan Board.

“No way!” she exclaimed as a young boy nodded and grinned. “Really?”

Upon noticing Satya watching her, Hana straightened up and said “Maxie lost a tooth!”

The boy nodded again, and uncurled his fingers to reveal a tiny fang stained with dark blood.

“Oi, you know what _that_ means, don’tcha?”

Jamison sauntered through the door with his usual mad grin. Upon seeing him Hana visibly brightened, and she met him in the middle of the room.

“Tooth fairy!” The boy’s words were a bit muddied from the gap in his teeth.

“Oh, I was gonna say yer gettin’ yer big ol’ nasty adult teeth, but yeah, that too!”

“Such an odd practice,” Satya murmured. She had known nothing of the myth of the “tooth fairy” until quite recently. Apparently it was very significant, at least to young French children.

“I saw the tooth fairy,” a different boy spoke up. “She looked just like Mrs. Emily!”

“Oh, that’s”–Fareeha parted the crowd of kids to get over to Maxie and the other boy–“that’s because the tooth fairy is, uh, also Irish. So…red hair.”

“She _smelled_ like Mrs. Emily too!”

“Don’t you know?”

The soft impact of socked feet heralded Sombra hopping down from the railing of the second floor, just by the stairs. She wove in between the vampire children, who watched her curiously. “The tooth fairy takes the form of people you know, so she won’t scare you if you wake up while she’s there.”

Fareeha stared at her. “Uh…yeah. That’s exactly right.”

That answer seemed to satisfy the kids. Immediately they began trading stories amongst themselves, making up tooth fairy forms they had allegedly seen.

Sombra did not stick around. On her way by Fareeha halted her. “What’s your game?” she whispered, eyeing the other vampiress with the utmost suspicion.

Sombra shrugged. “Trying to put a little magic back into the lives of sad, orphaned vampire kids is a game now?”

Fareeha narrowed her eyes. “…Get out of here.”

Sombra dissolved into a cloud of purple smoke and disappeared.

“Okay,” Fareeha spoke up, “I have to get you kids to bed so I can check up on the new girl. All right?”

“Are you sure you do not want my help?” Satya rested a hand lightly on Fareeha’s arm. “I am sure Hana and I could be of assistance.”

“No, no, I have to…”

“Okay everyone, let’s all get to bed!” Hana fanned her wings out and made a show of parading toward the staircase. “First one in their bed gets their own personal bedtime story from me!”

The kids all scrambled after her.

Fareeha watched the room clear out as Hana herded the children upstairs with ease. “Wow. Wish I had that kind of power over them.”

Despite Hana’s age, Satya still felt a maternal swell of pride each time she witnessed what a kind, caring and responsible adult Hana had grown into.

Eventually Fareeha sighed, bringing Satya back to their conversation. “All right. I’m gonna go check on her.”

“I will accompany you.”

“You sure? It’s not gonna be easy to look at.”

“I know. I want to be there for you.”

A small, weary smile warmed Fareeha’s face. She leaned down and met Satya’s lips for a light kiss.

“Thanks.”

* * *

 

The girl was already awake by the time Satya and Fareeha reached her room. Satya could hear the weak snarling through the door. When Fareeha nudged it open they found Lena sitting on the bed, holding the newly-turned vampiress in her arms.

“I know it’s scary. You don’t know where you are, you’re scared and you’re hungry.” She picked up a cup with a plastic straw lid off the nightstand. “I want you to drink this, okay? You’ll start to feel better.”

She held the straw to the girl’s lips. Though she was blood frenzied, the girl was clearly too weak to do much of anything besides snarl and weakly push Lena away. Regardless, Lena persisted, and eventually the girl must have caught the scent of blood from inside the cup. She took it in both clawed hands and began sucking eagerly on the straw.

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s real weak. But she seems hungry, so that’s a good sign.” Lena held the cup steady, so the girl did not spill any blood on herself. As soon as she’d consumed her fill the child curled up into Lena and fell almost immediately to sleep.

Lena stroked the girl’s long, raven-colored hair. “It’s weird. Usually the kids don’t take to me like they take to you and Hana. But this one zeroed right in on me.”

Fareeha sat down gently beside the two of them. “We’re gonna have to remove those bullets before the skin grows over them.”

“I know.” Lena’s gaze lifted from the girl to Fareeha’s somber face. “You do it all the time. I should be the one looking after the residents here…”

“It’s all right. I’m unfortunately kind of used to it – at least as used to pulling shrapnel and bullets out of children as you can get.”

Lena sighed. “God, I wish we still had a doctor around.”

Doctor Ziegler had helped them rebuild the mansion after Amélie’s downfall centuries ago, and then had vanished. Her practice had been shut down, and searching for her name online yielded no relevant results. It was as though she had been wiped from existence…at least in that incarnation. They all knew the creature of a thousand names and faces still roamed this earth, but unless it came forward and revealed itself they would likely never find it. It seemed the doctor wanted it that way.

Despite her weakened state, the girl radiated energy. Satya was fairly certain she had never encountered this girl before, and her scent was unfamiliar, but the aura she gave off tickled something in the very back of Satya’s mind. She looked over the slumbering child, whose tiny fists clutched the front of Lena’s blazer, as if terrified of being separated from the woman she had only just met.

With great hesitation Lena handed the girl off to Fareeha. Fareeha laid her gently out on the bedspread.

“Her nerves won’t be completely dead to pain yet,” Fareeha said. “She’s gonna hurt after this.”

As soon as she leaned down and prepared her claws to extract the bullets the girl’s eyes re-opened. They were wide with fear at the sight of Fareeha reaching for her stomach. Immediately they latched on to Lena, who was standing just behind Fareeha.

Satya noticed for the first time that the girl’s eyes were a vibrant shade of gold, and appeared to reflect the light of the bedside lamp. Looking into them was like staring into a portal to something else. Another time. Another person.

“Are you going to hurt me?” she asked in a small, quiet voice. Her French accent was thick, but her English was perfectly clear.

Satya felt as though there should have been something more behind those eyes as they fixed on the vampires around her. Some sort of mutual recognition. But there was no sense of familiarity within them. Only a frightened child’s torrent of emotions.

Lena seemed to feel the same way. She searched the girl’s petite face, as if waiting for the girl to say something else. The child said nothing.

“This will hurt a little bit,” Fareeha eventually said. “I have to get those bullets out of you.”

The girl’s eyes flicked over the three of them again. Abruptly Lena stepped forward, and offered her hand to the child. “You can…hold my hand if you want.”

Hesitantly the girl accepted. She still radiated fear, but Lena’s consolation appeared to calm her just a bit.

As Fareeha prepared to retrieve the bullets from the girl’s body Lena gave her hand a light squeeze. “Hey,” she said quietly, “once you’re feelin’ better would you like a tour of the house?”

The girl brightened at that. “Okay. It looked pretty on the outside.”

“Yeah, it’s a really cool place. I think you’ll like it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prequel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13811073)


End file.
